Dust
by Holly's Follies
Summary: What do you do when nightmares become reality? Can you save yourself? By the time it ends, will you even want to? Logan's having nightmares that could prove to be deadly.
1. Prologue

**So here it is! The one you've all been waiting for! I hope you love it. **

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the... nope that's about it.  
**

Logan tossed and turned, his face shining with sweat. He was caught in the throes of a nightmare. He clutched the sheets in trembling fingers. His face twisted in a pained grimace. "No… Carlos…" His breathing accelerated, a groan escaped his lips. "Help… somebody help him…" The moonlight streaming in from the window accentuated his pale features.

He flipped over, tangling his legs in the sheets. "Unh, hang on… please…" He thrashed ineffectually, trying to release the constricting grip. His body suddenly left the bed. Standing by his bed, swaying on his feet, sleep still held him. His mind screamed for consciousness, but the dream, the _nightmare_, would not relinquish its grasp. He stretched an arm, reaching for something that wasn't there. "Carlos…" His whole body shook in an unfelt force. "…wait… One step "… I…" then nothing. All movement ceased. Logan collapsed back in his bed, perfectly still.

_Elsewhere_

Everything felt surreal. The darkness wasn't palpable, but it may as well have been. It was like being caught in a billow of smoke. The warmth, like being hit by a spray of mist, but it wasn't wet. His fingers smoothed over his skin, dry.

Nothing broke the inky blackness. Everything tilted, if that was possible. There was no up, no down, but everything definitely felt like it had shifted, and he was standing. Standing on the blackness that had no shape, which could have just as easily been the empty air as it was the solid ground.

Footsteps lit up before him, bright yellow. They blinked into existence one by one, leading a path into the endless night. He didn't want to move, didn't want to follow, but he found himself drawn inexorably forward. His foot fit the footstep perfectly, covering the light for the instant that his foot occupied the same space.

He followed the trail, and gradually his surroundings began to change. Out of the black, gray cliffs materialized, fading in and out of existence, but eventually becoming definite. He found himself walking through the haze, with the indistinct cliffs forming a canyon on either side of him. Despite the lack of anything to judge by, he got the impression that he was going up. He was rising out of the crevice in the earth, to top the rocky cliffs.

He found himself atop the walls that had been closing in around him. The gray, rocky vastness expanded forever in every direction. The fissure that he had risen from had vanished, seemingly having closed up after he had exited it. The darkness still consumed the sky, but Logan could see. A silhouette had appeared in the distance.

He struggled to see who it was. The blackness swirled across the cliffs in gusts, making everything grainy, a sandstorm of black. The figure finally gained definition: Carlos. "Carlos!" he called, waving his arms.

Carlos ignored him. He didn't even turn at the sound of his friend's voice. Logan was pierced with an inexplicable fear. It was imperative that Carlos hear him. "Carlos!" Nothing.

A deadness took over Carlos' normally lively eyes. Black tendrils branched out from his pupils, slowly consuming his irises. "No!" Logan stood immobilized, the darkness twining around his legs, holding him in its deadly embrace. "Carlos!"

The tendrils spread further, seeming to gently prick the whites of his eyes. Dark vines wrapped around Logan's arms. He would've struggled, but it was as if he was paralyzed. It was then he noticed the people. Others were standing randomly across the plane of stone. People, all ages and sizes, stood staring at his friend. Their arms folded and eyes judging. They stared at his friend with a heartless detachment, like they believed he deserved whatever was happening.

"Help!" he yelled. "Somebody help him!"

The people remained as motionless as Carlos. Carlos' eyes were completely black. Logan was desperate, "Hang on! Please!" He struggled more fiercely against his imprisonment. Terror rapidly overtook all his other senses. Carlos's eyes solidified and minute cracks spread across the surface. "Carlos!" His eyes crumbled into ebony dust and were caught in the wind. The dust was gently pulled from his sockets, leaving him sightless.

"Wait," Logan threw himself against his restraints, "I…" he managed one step. It all ended.

**So, what is the thinking? You know you want to review. You know you do. Dooooo it. Dooooo it. ^-^**


	2. It Begins

**Hello all. I'm glad you liked the prologue. I can't imagine where I'm going with this either... I mean I've got it planned out to the final chapter and know exactly what I'm doing! Anywho, on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Story=mine. Big Time Rush = :(  
**

I shot awake screaming something. I don't even know what it was. I was out of it. My chest was heaving in abject shock. The darkness was suffocating me. Oh god, the darkness. It pushed in on all sides of me, crushing me, forcing the breath from my lungs. My nightmare slammed into me, and I fell back trying to control my breathing. It wasn't working. I was on the verge of a panic attack. It was all so real. It didn't feel like a dream, and every detail was crystal-clear. Normally I would have forgotten half of it by now.

I tried breathing like my mom had taught me after I'd had a nightmare. In out in out, nice and easy. No good. Carlos. I needed to go check on Carlos. I had to see that he was okay. That might calm me down. I launched myself out of bed and straight into something hard. I felt something wrap around me.

Panic had its way with me. I fought like a man possessed, anything to get away from what I was sure was the darkness come back to imprison me.

"Logan! Logan! Calm down it's just me!"

I felt its grip loosen and I managed to wrench myself away. I fell onto the floor with a hard thud. Then the overhead light was flicked on, and I realized my attacker had been none other than Kendall, my roommate.

He was staring down at me now, looking as if he was trying to decide between concern, laughter, and anger. He opted for concerned laughter. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, obviously trying not to smile.

I couldn't return the look. Without even answering him, I scrambled to my feet and darted out the door, heading for Carlos and James' room. "Logan!" I heard him hiss behind me.

I stopped in front of their door and quietly opened it, peering in. A slant of light from the hallway fell over Carlos' bed, illuminating his peacefully sleeping figure. I almost wanted to go shake him awake, just to make sure his, you know, _eyes _were still there, but I held myself back. I breathed a silent sigh of relief and carefully shut the door. A hand seized my arm and I had a mini-panic attack before I realized it was just Kendall again.

"Logan! What is the matter with you?" He glared down at me, daring me to run off again.

I shook my head, glancing significantly at the door behind me. Huffing, he dragged me into the living room and pushed me onto the couch.

I pulled at my sweat-soaked t-shirt, repositioning it over my shoulders. It was sticking to my back uncomfortably. I pulled my knees up to my chest and held them with my arms. I worked on willing my hands to stop shaking. That nightmare had been intense.

Kendall sat next to me, "Logan, talk to me. What happened? Why are you running around like an idiot in the middle of the night?"

I didn't meet his gaze. Whatever I said now, I'd sound crazy. I decided to go with the truth. "I had a nightmare."

"Okay." Kendall responded patiently. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Did I want to talk about it? Part of me did, but the bigger part, the part that didn't want Kendall thinking I was nuts, didn't. "No, it's just… it felt so real. I had to make sure it wasn't."

Kendall nodded, but continued to study me intently. I could see his concern. His eyes traveled, from what I was sure was my overly pale face, to my trembling hands. "How about some hot chocolate?"

I smiled gratefully. He wasn't going to pry, if I didn't want to talk about it. "That sounds great."

He went into the kitchen, and I heard him attempting to quietly gather the appropriate fixings. He came back five minutes later with two steaming mugs. "Thanks," I said softly, comforted by the warmth emanating from the cup. Kendall sat down slightly closer than he normally would, letting our knees touch.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know," he said quietly.

I met his green eyes, and I smiled, "I know."

"Just remember that I'm here if you ever need me."

I nodded. We sat in companionable silence, sipping our cocoa. I'd just finished mine when Kendall let loose with a humungous yawn. I laughed, "I think it's time we got you back to bed."

He tried to nod while wiping his eyes and ended up poking himself in the eye. I had to stifle my giggles; I didn't want to wake anyone up. He grumbled, but slung his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him slightly, appreciative of the gesture. We got to our room and I eyed my bed apprehensively.

Kendall caught my look and seemed to consider something. "You can sleep with me if you want to, Logie."

I grinned outright at his offer. I know that sounds a little odd for best friends, but it was totally normal behavior for the four of us. It wasn't strange for one of us to constantly be in contact with someone else, a hand on the shoulder, an arm around someone's back. We were together for so much of our lives that invading each other's personal space had become second nature. The idea was tempting, but I turned him down, "No thanks. I'll be alright." I could handle one little nightmare. I was seventeen after all.

"Kay. Try not to wake me up again," he joked, "I need my beauty sleep." He climbed into bed.

"Funny, I thought Kendall was my roommate, not James." Kendall chuckled before turning on his side and closing his eyes.

I turned off the light and got into my own bed. My sheets were still a little damp with sweat. "Goodnight," I called.

"Mmgmpf."

Chortling quietly, I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling. It was dotted with stars and planets. I'd put them up when I decided my astronomy needed a little work. I could now name every constellation and planet, in addition to all the moons. I concentrated on naming them all now, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep with the aftereffects of the nightmare still hanging over me.

I finished with Pluto's moons, but still didn't feel tired. I just couldn't shake that dream. I glanced at the clock. It was 4:30. I sighed. I should just get up now and get it over with, but just as I was about to rise to my feet, I felt a feather light touch brush my cheek. It was out there.

**And there it is. The official beginning of "Dust." Please review, I'd love it if you do! And there's a little bit of poetry for you all, just because I'm cool like that and not conceited in the slightest...**


	3. Tremors

**Voila! Another chapter is complete, a very long one too. Sorry, I have no idea how this one got so long, but I suppose that's probably a good thing for you all. :) Thank you reviewers; comments are awesome. In case it isn't obvious, I'm into bromances and I do have FCMD. I'm glad I've finally found some other people who like them too!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush. Sorry, I reached my clever comment quota earlier today.  
**

I finally got up at six thirty and decided to go for a run to clear my head. Normally, I don't like running, but I would've done anything to shake the terror of the night before. The morning was crisp and cool and felt perfect after everything that had happened. I figured I ran for about two miles, not anything astounding, but enough to make me feel better.

When I got back to the apartment, I decided to make everyone breakfast, but not before showering off and putting on some clean clothes. I was careful not to wake Kendall as I gathered up some clothes from the room. I didn't want to be responsible for disturbing his sleep twice in one morning.

I made my specialty, blueberry pancakes. Okay, they came from a mix in a box, but it's the thought that counts, right? Besides, I had to go through all the trouble of frying them and everything. That had to count for something.

I'd just put a plateful in the oven to keep warm when James came in. His hair was wet and freshly styled. "Morning Logan," he greeted me. "You're up early." James was usually the first up when Mrs. Knight wasn't here.

"Hey, James. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get up and do something constructive. Want a pancake?"

"Heck yes."

I made him up a plate, and Carlos wandered in. If James looked styled and put together in the mornings, Carlos was the exact opposite. He was still in the old, raggedy sweats he wore to bed, complete with an oversized t-shirt. Had he had longer hair, I could only imagine how it would be sticking up. I offered him some pancakes and got a grunt in response. I took that for a yes.

I couldn't help but examine him as I placed a plate before him. He didn't look any different than he usually did. His brown eyes were looking up at me in confusion. "Uh," I started a little embarrassed, "want some juice?"

"Yeah, thanks Logan," Well, he was a little more awake at least.

"Oh I see how it is. Carlos gets juice, but does anyone even think of offering me some?" James pouted.

I sighed dramatically, "James, would you like some juice?"

"Yes, thank you Logan. You're so considerate."

"Sm whuffs Kndl?" Carlos said through a mouthful of food.

It took me a moment to translate, "Kendall's still asleep. He didn't get much last night, and I didn't want to wake him just yet." I refrained from adding that it was my fault. I didn't need James and Carlos worrying about me too.

"He'd better hurry or we're going to be late," thankfully James said this without giving us a look at the contents of his stomach. We had a practice session with Gustavo this morning at nine thirty.

"I'll go wake him," I volunteered.

I went into our room and considered the best way of waking Kendall. There were a variety of methods I could use, but I decided to be nice, since he had sat up with me the night before. "Kendall," I murmured, shaking his shoulder, "get up or we're going to be late."

His response was to turn over and mutter something. "Come on Kendall," I said louder. He didn't move. "I'll sick Carlos on you." Nothing. Dang, that threat had obviously lost its affect. "I'll sick Katie on you?" I tried. Katie was pretty scary sometimes. Oh wait, Katie was with Mrs. Knight. They'd taken a three day weekend to go do "girl stuff." Kendall had had to bribe Katie into going with Mrs. Knight. He knew how much his mom wanted Katie to act like a normal girl. I hoped she wasn't being too much of a handful.

Kendall still hadn't gotten up. I sighed, "I didn't want to have to do this." I threw myself on the bed and started to tickle him. Kendall liked to pretend that he wasn't ticklish, but we all knew better. We rarely had the opportunity to use it against him, but today was perfect. He jerked and tried to throw me off the bed, but I held on tenaciously. We wrestled against each other for a few minutes, before his superior weight won out. I picked myself up off the floor, and he gave me a venomous look, but it didn't reach his eyes.

I regarded him calmly. "Now hurry up and get dressed. Kelly will be here soon to pick us up." I left before he had a chance to do something horrible to me in retaliation.

Practice went well for a change, and Gustavo said something almost nice to us as we were trooping out, "DOGS! You almost didn't make my ears bleed with that horrible noise you call singing. Go ahead and take the weekend off, but I expect to see you back here at SEVEN THIRTY MONDAY MORNING!

We cheered and high fived each other, not even caring that we'd have to get up early Monday. The rest of the day passed uneventfully. James pushed Carlos in the pool. The Jennifers pushed James in the pool. Kendall and I sat safely on the sidelines, pining for our respective girlfriends. Mine had finally landed a job, but it meant she had to be filming in Canada for the next three months, and Kendall's had flown back to North Carolina for her grandmother's birthday.

That night we unanimously decided to watch a scary movie, and by unanimously I mean James, Carlos, and Kendall wanted to watch one and somehow talked me into it. Scary movies terrified me. James and Kendall sat on either side of me, promising to "protect" me should anything scary happen. Carlos laid on the floor where he claimed he could see better.

After the third time I nearly jumped into someone's lap in fear, I decided to call it a night. The guys barely noticed as I climbed over the back of the couch and made my exit into my room.

I flicked the light switch as I walked in, but the light didn't come on. That was strange. I'd just changed the bulb a week ago. Shrugging, I went to my desk and pulled out the spare I kept in the bottom drawer. My back was to the door, and I heard it creak softly then the latch click. The light coming from the living room was extinguished. A blue glow from the numbers on Kendall's clock provided the only source of light. I spun around, expecting to find one of my friends sneaking up on me, but there was no one there.

_Maybe a back draft from the air conditioning coming on,_ I thought. It was possible. The curtains over the desk rustled, and I whirled back around. There was nothing there, not anything I could see anyway. My heart rate sped up slightly, but I didn't want to freak out. My friends were probably just messing with me. That's when I felt it.

Something drifted across the back of my neck. It felt like the time I'd been caught in a dust devil, with dirt swirling all around me, only localized to one area. My hand shot up to my neck, but the sensation was gone. I felt it again, against the back of my left hand. I jerked it back. Suddenly it was all around me. The wind tugged at my clothes, and dirt assaulted all the exposed skin.

I jumped back, trying to escape, and fell over my desk chair. I hit the floor hard, taking a glass off my desk in the process. It shattered on the floor.

"Logan?" someone called from the living room. It sounded like Kendall.

The next thing I knew, the door was flung open, and the light turned on. How was that possible? Carlos stood framed in the doorway. James and Kendall stood behind him peering over his shoulders.

"Logan, you okay?" Carlos asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good." I was fine physically, but mentally I thought I was a _little_ unstable. Was I suddenly incapable of working a light switch? And what was with… whatever just happened?

"What were you doing?" James asked pushing into the room. "What's with the light bulb?"

"I-I um… t-the light…"

"Logan you're bleeding!" Carlos cut across my stuttering, knelt down beside me, and seized my right hand. Sure enough, blood was welling up out of several cuts. I must have cut it on the glass I'd accidentally smashed. I knew I should have taken it out to the kitchen earlier. Figures the one time I slacked off would come back to bite me.

"Hang on, I'll get the first aid kit," Kendall offered, still out in the hallway.

Kendall returned and gently tweezed little bits of glass from my hand, while Carlos and James cleaned up. I winced slightly when Kendall applied the antiseptic, but I could tell he was trying to be as gentle with me as possible. He was contradictory like that.

I remembered a day at school when we were freshman. There was this one kid, Marcus Jensen, who always tried to intimidate everyone. For the most part, he was just talk, but he could get rough if no one else was around. I usually didn't have a problem with him. If he said anything about me, I just ignored him. He knew better than to mess with Kendall or James, they would've taken him apart, and he'd tried messing with Carlos once. It ended with a helmet in his abdomen. I figured, if it came down to it, I could take him in a fight, but I failed to consider a few other variables.

I was walking to the parking lot to meet up with the guys, when Marcus waylaid me in the hallway. "Logan, man," he'd said, walking up to me and stopping about five feet away. "You got a dollar you could loan me?"

I did, but I wasn't going to give it to him. "Nope, sorry Marcus."

"Are you sure? I could really use a dollar right now," he responded taking a step closer to me.

I held my ground, "I'm sure. In fact, I just spent my last one."

He took another step forward, shaking his head reproachfully, "That's too bad man. You're gonna really wish you had that dollar." He lunged for me, swinging his fist.

I stepped out of the way and gave him a shove as he went past. He stumbled, but turned around, fuming. I barely had time to register footsteps coming up behind me, before my arms were wrenched back behind me. I smelled cigarette smoke and knew instantly who held me. "Phil, Albert won't your mommies be wondering where you are?" Phil and Albert, Marcus' cronies. They responded by yanking harder on my arms. I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

"You're going to pay, smart guy," Marcus threatened, approaching me with a fist cocked. I struggled, but couldn't break their iron grasp.

I braced myself, and my head snapped around when his fist connected with my jaw. His next shot went to my stomach, doubling me over. I was fully prepared to get the crap beaten out of me, but the next hit never came. I lifted my head in time to see Kendall slam Marcus into the lockers. James and Carlos weren't far behind.

When Kendall was angry, his whole demeanor changed. He didn't lose the confidence, but the laughter and smugness from his expression were gone, replaced by a cold determination. Every motion screamed of his fierce protectiveness. There was no doubt in my mind that it could have been anyone of us held down by bullies, and he still would have reacted the same.

I leaned against the wall, one arm still around my stomach. They didn't seem to need my help. Actually, Phil and Albert had run almost as soon as they could get away from James and Carlos, who were now chasing after them, yelling various threats. Marcus managed to get Kendall off of him and took off like his life depended on it. Kendall looked for a second like he was going to go after him, but then thought better of it.

Instead he came over to me. "You okay?" The fierceness had almost completely left his face. He was coming back to normal Kendall.

I smiled happily at him. I did actually feel fine. I could take a couple of punches. "I'm fine. Just a couple bruises. No big deal."

His fingers came up to gently catch my chin and examine the bruise I assume was blooming on my face. I caught one last flash of something dangerous, "Marcus better watch his back," I heard him mutter.

That was Kendall. Sharp and perilous one moment, tender and caring the next. I guess that's what makes him such a good leader.

Watching him now, feeling the bandages pull snug, I couldn't help but wonder if I should tell him what had really happened. Would he believe me even if I did?

**Love it? Hate it? Tell me, and I'll appreciate it regardless. I can take criticism, not gracefully, but I can take it. XD**


	4. Cracks

**Not much to say. Here's the next chapter, thanks for the reviews (I appreciate them lots!), and all I own is the plot, and all the creepy people I keep putting in Logan's dreams. **

That night, as I lay staring at the ceiling, I could feel _something_. It wasn't one of those feelings where someone's watching you; it was more like when you can feel someone near you, but you can't see them. The dust or darkness or whatever, was out there, taunting me.

I rolled over restlessly. Even stargazing couldn't take my mind off my problems tonight. Instead, I concentrated on Kendall's steady breathing coming from the other side of the room. It managed to take my mind off that unsettling feeling and lulled me to sleep.

_Elsewhere _

Logan was back. Back in that world of gray stone and black skies. The wind whipped around him, sending sharp shards stinging against his exposed arms. The dust seemed to wheel gleefully across the land, changing course erratically. The wind didn't direct the dust, Logan realized, the dust directed the wind. It pulled the air behind it as it flowed across the ground.

At present, the cliffs were empty, no people and, thankfully, no Carlos. Then everything shifted slightly, there was a light jerk as everything seemed to click into place. Logan blinked, and everything had changed.

It was the same scene from the night before, with one difference. The rocky area he was standing on now was no longer flat, but a raised plateau, that allowed one to see the landscape spread out for miles below. Maybe the sky came down closer last time, or maybe this world had the ability to change at will. He didn't know. He only knew that, where once there was darkness, was now a gray expanse that looked just as inhospitable as the plateau he currently resided on.

He brought his attention back to the scene in front of him. Carlos stood again, in the middle of the plateau, expressionless. His eyes had already disintegrated. The crowd of onlookers still regarded him with expressions of judgment, as if he was a criminal receiving punishment. One in particular caught Logan's attention, a red haired woman, with a look of utter contempt on her features. She wore a dark purple shirt, under a tight black jacket, black skinny jeans, and black, knee-high boots. If she hadn't been scowling so sternly, she would have been beautiful.

Logan tried to take a step towards his friend, but the darkness had twined itself around his ankles without his noticing. He flailed for a second before falling to his knees. "Carlos!" he called instead, praying that his friend would acknowledge him this time. "Carlos please!"

Logan gasped. A grayness, the same shade as the surrounding stone, was spreading from Carlos' fingertips up his arms. The grayness advanced up his arms, spreading up and down his torso. His fingers began crumbling. Logan shook his head, trying to deny his eyes, horror building in him. Carlos' arms crumbled, picked up by the ever present dust. His legs fell next, but the rest of his body didn't move. His torso was slowly eaten away, leaving only his eyeless face, which disappeared bit by bit. His mouth, which should have been stretched in a grin, was the last piece left, before he was gone.

_Reality_

I fell out of bed with a thump. I sucked in a breath, panting. My face was bathed in sweat. Lurching to my feet, I left the room, hoping I didn't make too much noise. I got to the bathroom in time to lose all the popcorn I'd eaten, although it really didn't look like popcorn anymore. What was wrong with me? What was happening? Why did I keep watching my friend _die_?

Carlos wasn't Carlos in my dreams. He wasn't the boy I'd met on the first day of my new school. That Carlos had been fun and full of life.

On my first day of sixth grade, I was a nervous wreck. I'd just moved to town, and school had already been in session for three months. That was just enough time for cliques to form and for new people to be excluded. I'd walked into the cafeteria, already worrying about where I was going to sit, and the next thing I knew I'd somehow managed to trip over my own feet and dump my water bottle all over myself, all over the front of my pants to be exact. I stood there mortified. I fully expected someone to jump up, point, and yell something that would forever brand me as an outcast, but when I looked up my eyes met the brown ones of a Hispanic boy just exiting the lunch line. His tray was piled high with food.

His eyes locked on mine, emanating shock. I braced myself for the worst, but it never came. Instead I heard a wild war cry and the boy ran and threw himself on the ground, on top of his lunch. He slid five feet across the floor, before hopping up grinning. He was covered in Sloppy Joe and tater tots. Everyone in the cafeteria was staring at him, openmouthed. He just grinned and waved.

His eyes met mine. I was still standing in the same place, unable to move, and he mouthed, "Go, go."

I finally understood and took off for a bathroom I'd seen just outside. Just as I was leaving, laughter erupted, and I felt a stab of pity for the boy, but then I realized they weren't laughing at him. He was laughing right along with him. He wasn't even bothered by the fact that he'd just embarrassed himself in front of half the student body.

I'd just finished cleaning myself up, when the door opened, and the boy from before bounded in. He grinned infectiously at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks," I said.

"No problem, dude. I'm Carlos." He held out his hand.

"I'm Logan."

"Want to have lunch with me?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

That was the Carlos that should have been in my dreams: the one that loved to pull crazy stunts and then just laughed it off when everyone looked at him like he was nuts. I wanted to dream about that Carlos. I wanted to stop seeing that place. Gray was rapidly becoming my least favorite color.

I got up off my stiff knees and moved to the sink. I splashed some water on my face still thinking about my nightmares. _Anything would be better than seeing them again, _I thought miserably.

"Are you sure about that?" I jumped at the sound of a voice. Looking up into the mirror, I threw myself back, heart beating forcefully. My reflection wasn't staring back at me. It was the woman with the red hair.

She looked at me expectantly and smiled slowly. Her brown eyes widened imperceptibly. "Don't be too sure that that is the worst that could happen," and then she was gone.

I slid down the bathroom wall, coming to rest with my arms wrapped around my knees. I was shaking uncontrollably. My breaths stuttered in and out. What was going on? Was I losing it? Could all this be a figment of my imagination?

I don't know how long I sat on the bathroom floor letting my thoughts chase each other round and round my head. I was having trouble separating dreams from reality, but they just seemed so real. Maybe I was stressed out. Stress could trigger nightmares and hallucinations. It didn't explain the weird happenings in the bedroom, but the light could've been a fluke, a random short in the electrical system, and the back draft created by the air conditioner could explain the other things, sort of.

Semi-satisfied with this conclusion, I finally left the bathroom. At least it didn't make me sound insane. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I figured I'd go watch cartoons or something. Walking down the hallway, I noticed an odd smell. It reminded me of rain on hot concrete.

Turning the corner into the living room, I had another mental breakdown. The woman was standing between me and the couch. It was almost surprising how normal she looked. I mean she looked normal in the dream, but seeing it in the real world just seemed wrong. She had that same expectant smile on her face. "Surprised to see me?" She asked conversationally.

"You-I," I took a deep breath. "You aren't real. This is all some massive hallucination caused by the stress of living and performing in L.A."

She smirked, "Oh, Logie, you're so naïve. Of course this is real. Just because you don't want it to be, doesn't mean that it isn't."

I just stared at her, wishing that she would disappear, or clap her hands and laugh proclaiming this was all a big hoax. "Please, this can't be real. Things like this just don't happen. It's impossible." I hated the almost whiny quality my voice had taken on.

She shrugged, "Maybe here it is, but not elsewhere. It's such a shame, though."

I didn't want to ask, "What is?"

"That they picked you and your friends. I actually kind of like you boys. Oh well, I'm sorry Logan. You have to know this is real. This will serve to convince you and also serve my other purpose." She started walking towards me.

I wanted to back up, but her brown eyes held me in place. She reached me and grasped my wrist. Her slender fingers wrapped all the way around. I gasped. A searing pain came from where her skin touched mine. It felt as if a thousand tiny needles were assaulting my wrist. She pulled away, a pleased expression on her face. "Now you can stop deluding yourself."

I examined my wrist. It didn't look any different, maybe a little darker where she'd touched me. I tentatively pressed a finger to it, but didn't feel any pain. Instead, it felt as if I had sand under my skin. As if minute shards of something… No. She hadn't. A picture of the dust blowing across the cliffs flitted through my mind. She hadn't put that _stuff_ inside me, had she? Oh god, I hoped not.

I looked back up, intending to confront her, but saw only an empty room.

**There it is, my usual cliffhanger. I should think you'd all be used to them by now. ;) Next chapter will be up tomorrow. Reviews=undying love, and possibly a cookie... whichever you'd prefer.**


	5. Buildup

**Soooo, I'm kinda running out of things to say in these author's notes. Umm... I start school tomorrow, so my updating schedule will probably change, but I promise to try and post as regularly as possible. Thank you wonderful reviewers, cookies to all, and if you're reading this and not reviewing, no cookies for you. So there. P No just kidding, you can have one. :D **

I was curled in a fetal position on the couch when James found me the next morning. I'd flicked on the tv, but none of the images had made any sense. I wondered if my brain was purposely scrambling them, trying to keep a hold of whatever sanity I had left. I looked at my wrist, and noticed the ring was now a lovely shade of blue. Great. I subtly adjusted the bandages on that hand, hoping James wouldn't notice.

I felt the cushion dent as hesat down. "Uh, Logan? I have a very serious question for you."

I stared at him blankly.

"Why are you up at seven thirty in the morning watching Spongebob?"

I glanced at the screen and saw Spongebob enter his pineapple. "Um… he offers brilliant insight into the human existence, through farce and a subtle use of parallelism?"

James looked at me like I'd grown another head. "Riiiight." He almost got up and left, but then I saw him take another look at me. His brow furrowed like it does when he's worried about something. "Are you feeling okay?"

I almost said I was fine; I hate when people worry about me, but then I just shrugged and sighed kind of tiredly.

James sat back down next to me. "What's wrong?"

I toyed with telling him the truth…

_"Well James, I've been having these nightmares."_

_ "Really Logan, please continue." _

_ "Carlos get his eyes taken out, then he turns into a statue and dissolves right before my very eyes." _

_ "That's terrible. No wonder you look like you've been trying to sleep in the swirly slide." _

_ "But that's not even the worst part! A girl from my dreams was in the apartment this morning and she did something weird to my wrist, and now it feels like it's full of sand! Plus it's blue!" _

_ "Wow Logan! That isn't crazy at all! I totally believe you!"_

Yeah, right.

"I just… I haven't been sleeping well, and it's starting to get to me."

"Yeah I can tell. You've got these giant bags under your eyes. Very unattractive."

I half snorted half laughed, and punched his arm lightly, "Thanks James. That's sensitive of you."

He laughed, "No worries, dude. I'll let you borrow my cover up."

I groaned and leaned forward until my forehead was resting on his shoulder. He put an arm around me and rubbed my back.

I hadn't always felt this comfortable around James. In fact, he was the hardest of my group of friends to get used to.

Eighth grade I was already friends with Kendall and Carlos, and we'd all been on the same hockey team for a year. I was feeling good about myself. I usually struggled with sports. Even if I could play perfectly fine by myself, I had a tendency to get nervous when it mattered, but with hockey, that hadn't happened. I was good regardless of what else was going on. That's why I was a little hesitant when James joined the team. I was good at something, and I didn't need some new guy screwing that up for me.

I just knew he would screw it up, too. He was cocky and arrogant and way more aggressive than I ever was. Kendall loved that about him. Carlos had finally met an outlet for all his pent up insanity. James and I just didn't click. We couldn't find common ground. We acknowledged each other, but we only came into contact through mutual friendship with Kendall and Carlos.

I have to admit, part of it was jealousy. I didn't like sharing my friends with anyone else, but all of that changed a few weeks after James joined the team.

It was a Thursday night, and I was supposed to meet Clara Andrews at the movies. I couldn't believe it when she asked me out. I just didn't seem like her type. Anyway, I was getting a little antsy; she'd promised to meet me at eight and it was already eight fifteen. The movie didn't start till eight thirty, so we still had fifteen minutes, but I was starting to wonder if she'd stood me up.

At eight twenty-five, I'd almost given up hope, when I spotted Clara entering the theater… on the arm of Jacob Downs. She laughed out loud when she saw me, and nudged Jacob. He grinned at me.

"Hey Mitchell, waiting for someone?" he'd taunted.

I grit my teeth, trying to keep my emotions in check. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry, or punch Jacob in his stupid face, or maybe wing some well deserved comments at Clara, who was just standing there a malicious smile on her angelic face.

"Did you actually think someone like Clara would want to date someone like _you_?"

I felt my cheeks burning from embarrassment; the movies were a popular hangout spot, and there were lots of kids from school there getting a front row seat to the spectacle. Then, just to make matters worse, Mr. Pretty Boy Super Cool James walked into the theater, with some cheerleader. I was mortified. Bad enough half the school seemed to be here, now I had to deal with James, too? If I could have, I would have crawled under the floor and died.

I felt my eyes drawn back across the lobby towards James and saw him looking at me. He said something to his date then started towards me. I prayed for a quick and painless death, but then something unexpected happened.

James wrapped his arm around my shoulders and started steering me around Clara, Jacob, and the on-looking crowd, "_There_ you are, Logan. Ashley's been looking everywhere for you." He gestured with his head towards the girl he'd been with. I looked at the pretty, brown-haired girl, and she made a show of blowing me a kiss.

Clara's jaw dropped, and I heard Jacob swear under his breath. My embarrassment slowly receded. I reached Ashley and the three of us walked into the theater. James took his arm off my shoulder and stopped to face me. Ashley said something softly about finding seats, leaving the two of us alone by the entrance.

"Um…" I started awkwardly, "Thanks, for back there." I felt my blush return, "I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed."

James smiled, equally awkward, "No problem, man."

I began inching towards the exit, "I guess I should let you get back to your date."

"Yeah, yeah I should go." He reached a hand up then paused, as if unsure what he wanted to do with it. He settled for patting my shoulder.

I had taken a few steps toward the exit before he called after me, "Hey Logan," I turned. "Don't let Clara get you down. She's a witch behind that hot exterior. I'll set you up with someone next time. We can double."

I felt the first real smile I'd ever given him break across my face, "Yeah. Sure, that'd be great. Thanks James." We'd found our common ground.

I felt my eyes drooping, as the comfortable position I was in pushed me towards sleep. I wanted nothing more than to sleep peacefully for the next day and a half, but constant fear of my nightmares stayed that desire. With a groan, I pulled away and yawned.

James stood up and walked to the kitchen, "What do you want for breakfast? I'm cooking this morning."

My stomach grumbled loudly. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. "Anything. I'm starving."

James made us three waffles each and piled on the butter and syrup. Mine were gone in under five minutes. James ate his like a normal human being. Afterwards, we decided to head down to the pool and burn off all the calories we'd just consumed.

We arrived at the pool with our towels and our noodles. The Jennifers were already there, lounging on their usual chairs. Tyler's mom ran past us, yelling worriedly, "Tyler! Tyler, we're going to be late!" I almost hoped she didn't catch the poor kid. Guitar Dude sat on one of the walls, absently strumming his guitar.

I dumped my stuff on a chair and pulled my shirt off. James mirrored my movements. We both ran to the edge and dove in. I wasn't worried about the bandage in my hand coming off; Mrs. Knight had taken to buying waterproof bandages as soon as they'd come out. She knew we'd need them.

I broke the surface neatly and relished the feel of the cold water on my skin. It effectively washed all my troubles to the back of my mind. I swam a few lengths under water before popping back up. James was a few feet from me, swishing his long hair from his eyes.

"Want to race?" he challenged me.

"First one to the other side and back wins?"

"Yeah!" and he took off.

"Cheater!" I yelled before shooting off after him. As I swam, I noticed something on the bottom of the pool. It looked like a black stone and glittered iridescently. I felt myself being drawn towards it, abandoning the race with James. I stroked to the bottom of the pool, reaching out to touch the strange object, but just as I was about to touch it, it moved.

The stone flattened out, and I realized it wasn't solid. I froze. It was dust.

The dust stretched out and twined around the fingers of the wrist the woman had touched. It coated my hand and moved up my arm, anchoring me to the bottom of the pool. I stifled a gasp. My lungs were starting to protest the lack of oxygen. Good thing I was a singer. The darkness continued up my arm and spread from there. I could feel it trickling over my skin.

I struggled against its constricting grip. My vision was becoming spotty. The dust traveled down my legs, and I felt it sliding up my neck. My body screamed for air, and my vision was narrowing. The darkness oozed across my lips, and I could feel it on my scalp. My last thought before I passed out was _I hope James remembers that lifeguarding class he took._

**Oh no! I just left Logan drowning on the bottom of the pool! How can I be so sadistic? Hehe, pretty easily I guess. That's why you all love me, right? Please review!**_  
_


	6. Fissures

**Tada! Here it is, as promised. Enjoy! (Regular disclaimers apply)**

_Elsewhere_

When Logan came to, he didn't recognize his surroundings. He sat up slowly and tried to blink the fuzz from his brain. He groaned when he figured out what had happened. He was back. That place, what had the woman called it? Elsewhere. That wasn't really a name, but he had to have something to refer to it by.

Logan clambered to his feet and surveyed the area. He was no longer on the plateau. Instead, he was on a plain that extended as far as he could see. A light breeze rustled his… swim trunks. He'd never realized this before, but when he came here, he was always wearing whatever he'd fallen asleep in, or passed out in, as the case happened to be. At least he wouldn't overheat. The air had that same feeling as the first time: dry and hot. The sky was, as always, completely black.

Sighing, he began walking. For the first twenty minutes, he thought he might actually be getting somewhere. For the next twenty, he hoped he was getting somewhere. The twenty after that, he decided he'd been walking in place because he had absolutely no way to judge distances, and _it didn't look like he'd gone anywhere._

Just as he was about to sit down and rest, he spotted something glinting in the distance. It was odd that the thing seemed to reflect light; there didn't appear to be any natural light anywhere. Although, Logan could see and distinguish different colors, so some law of physics was in effect. Regardless, it broke the monotony of the gray rock, and for that, Logan didn't care if it broke every law of physics he'd ever learned.

For lack of any other destination, he concentrated on the unidentified shine. He wondered how far away it was. He didn't bother hazarding a guess; distance had no meaning here. It could just as easily be two miles away as twelve.

He mentally cursed this place for pulling him here without his watch. If the measureless distances weren't bad enough, they had to be compounded with the fact that he couldn't even tell what time it was.

After what felt like hours of walking, he noticed the glistening object was finally growing closer. He picked up his pace, beginning to jog. As he drew closer, tendrils of smoke began to drift across the land. They became thicker the closer he got to the thing. He kept jogging, wanting to reach his destination. They eventually got thick enough that he had to slow down to make sure he wouldn't trip over anything.

It was like his first night in reverse. The smoke had obscured his vision on either side and was gradually solidifying into an opaque wall. Logan almost stopped completely when even the ground beneath him had become black, but he kept going because he could still see the silvery protrusion in the near distance.

At last, he reached the shimmering entity and realized it was a mirror: a rectangular, full-length mirror, approximately three feet by eight. Logan pressed a hand to it, confirming its existence. He peered at it, looking at his reflection. "At least Carlos isn't here this time," he muttered. As if Carlos' name had been a trigger, the mirror changed.

Instead of showing Logan, it now showed a picture of Carlos and James' bedroom. The room was as untidy as ever. Clothes obscured the carpet, dishes littered the bookshelf and both nightstands, and piles of miscellaneous stuff coated everything else. James' unmade bed was empty, but Carlos' still contained a sleeping Carlos.

Carlos took up more room than anyone his size had a right to. His arms were flopped wide, and one leg dangled off the bed. His mouth was wide open, and a puddle of drool was forming on his pillow.

Logan would have smiled, but a dreadful feeling of foreboding was exuding from his stomach. He suddenly wished that Carlos would wake up, would leave his room and the awful energy that was rapidly permeating it, but Carlos never stirred. Then Logan saw something that further fueled his alarm: dust.

The dust was swirling playfully across James' dresser. It twined around his hockey stick, before drifting over to the inert Carlos. The dust skimmed up his body and gently caressed his face. Carlos twitched and brought a hand up to his nose. The dust brushed his cheek, and Logan watched as Carlos' eyes opened.

His eyes registered confusion first, then surprise. He tried to sit up, but it appeared as if he couldn't move. Carlos' eyes darted around, trying to figure out why he'd been rendered motionless. They landed on the smoky, black cloud of dust.

The cloud almost seemed to smile, before it broke into two and landed smoothly in Carlos' eyes. He blinked in shock, and resumed his struggle for movement.

By now, Logan was pounding on the mirror, trying frantically to get to his friend. He couldn't save him in his dreams, but something told Logan that this time was for real. "Carlos! Carlos! No!" Shouting was useless, but Logan couldn't help it. "No! Stop!"

It played out just as in his nightmare. The black spread from his pupils, out through his irises, and into the whites of his eyes. Logan knew what would happen next.

In desperation, he threw himself against the glass, but to no avail. He smashed into the mirror again and again. It didn't so much as tremble. He felt like he'd dislocated his shoulder, but couldn't stop.

The fractures appeared on Carlos' eyes, and Logan's mania finally ceased. He looked on in horror as the dust trickled from Carlos' eyes, taking them with him. His friend's body went slack. He could've been sleeping, but Logan knew better. Behind those closed eyelids were empty sockets.

Fury suddenly raced through Logan's veins. He should've stopped this. He should've been able to do something. Carlos was one of his best friends, but all he could do was watch as he'd had his eyes stolen. He slammed his hand into the mirror in frustration, but his hand went right through it, and the rest of his body soon followed.

_Reality_

I blinked my eyes, sunlight blinding them. Faces swam in and out of focus, but I managed to concentrate on one: James. James was bending over me looking extremely freaked out. His wet hair was plastered to his forehead and sticking up oddly, but for once he didn't seem to care what it looked like. "Logan," he breathed, "thank god."

I breathed in, to reassure him I was alright, but ended up turning on my side and coughing up several lungfuls of water. The resulting burn in my throat caused me to cough even more. James patted my back, murmuring softly to me. After I finished hacking up my lung, I looked at the other people standing around me. The Jennifers were in the background, trying to look unconcerned. Guitar Dude was sitting across from James. His signature shades pulled down, revealing a concerned stare.

"I'm okay," I whispered hoarsely. I wasn't surprised when James stared at me skeptically. I tried to sit up, and James and Guitar Dude both grabbed a shoulder to assist me. Taking a few deep breaths, I repeated myself, "I'm okay, really."

"Dude, what happened? One minute you were right behind me, the next…" James trailed off, shuddering from the memory.

I felt terrible, and wanted to explain, but what could I really tell him? "I don't know what happened…" I started, trying to come up with something.

Guitar Dude spoke up, "James was awesome. He pulled you from pool and gave you CPR and everything."

James shrugged, muttering something about me doing the same for him.

I put my hand on his shoulder and said sincerely, "Thank you James. You saved my life."

He grinned at me briefly, before his anxious look returned. "We should really get you to the apartment."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," I agreed. James stood up and pulled me up after him. He offered me my shirt, and I pulled it on, swaying a little.

"Can you walk?" he asked, eyeing me doubtfully.

"Of course I can," I said brashly. I took a couple steps forward, and then my legs gave way.

James caught me. "Walk like a drunken toddler maybe." He swung me up into his arms easily.

"James!" I cried embarrassed.

"What?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. "We've done more embarrassing things before."

"Hmph," I gave him an irritated look, but didn't protest again. He had just saved my life, and secretly I didn't think I could make it all the way back up to the apartment. Besides, we _had _been in a lot more… interesting situations than this.

We made it up to the apartment, and James set me down to open the door. I leaned against the wall tiredly. After he'd pushed it open, he made to pick me up again, but I stopped him. "It's like twenty feet to the couch."

James rolled his eyes, and wrapped an arm around my waist instead. He helped me inside, and I saw Kendall look up from where he was sitting at the counter, eating breakfast. "Woah, what happened?" he asked.

James lowered me to the couch before answering, "Logan decided to give me a heart attack."

I snorted at his description, but knew it was probably pretty accurate.

"What?" Kendall asked, coming to the couch and sitting beside me. He looked at me concerned.

"Logan and I went down to the pool this morning. We decided to race each other, and everything was fine, until I realized he wasn't behind me anymore. I turned to look for him, and I couldn't find him. Then I heard one of the Jennifers shriek something and point at the bottom of the pool. Logan was floating down there, unconscious. I dove down and pulled him up, but he wasn't breathing. I got him out of the pool and started CPR. Luckily, it worked, and he started breathing again almost right away." James looked shaken as he finished his narration. Kendall turned back to me, "What happened, Logan?"

I shrugged helplessly. Even if I knew more than they did, I still didn't know what was going on. If it wasn't for my wrist, I'd still think I was just having crazy hallucinations. I debated spilling everything to them, but as I was about to speak, James asked, "Where's Carlos?"

**Y esto tiempo, en espanol! Repase por favor! (And this time, in Spanish! Please review!)**


	7. Quake

**Hello everyone! Somebody called me Peanut today, and I thought it was hilarious. So, I'm officially calling you all Peanut, Peanut! New chapter it UP! Peanut!**

Carlos. Oh no. I felt sick, as my vision washed over me. It couldn't be real. None of my dreams had been real so far. This one couldn't be. Although, none of them had been purposely instigated before either…

Kendall waved vaguely to the bedroom. "He's still asleep. I thought about waking him up, but there wasn't really any point. We're not doing anything today."

"We have to wake him up." I whispered.

Kendall gave me a weird look, "Um, okay, I guess if you want to."

I struggled to my feet, shrugging off Kendall and James' helping hands.

"Why do you care if Carlos sleeps late?" James asked me. "It's not like he cares if he misses anything."

I didn't answer, only pushed the door to the bedroom open and sat on the edge of Carlos' bed. "Carlos, wake up." I shook his shoulder. He remained motionless, eyes closed. "Come on Carlos, wake up, please." I wondered if James and Kendall could hear the slight tone of desperation in my voice.

"I know what'll wake him up," James volunteered. He leaned over Carlos' head and shook his wet hair all over him. Beads of liquid dotted his face. I waited with baited breath. My heart pounded painfully in my throat. I would never forgive myself if something had happened to my friend.

Carlos didn't even twitch. "That's weird," Kendall commented, "Even Carlos isn't that heavy a sleeper." He stepped up and shook Carlos' shoulder roughly. "Hey Carlos, cut it out man. This isn't funny." The only movement was the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Kendall and James were both starting to look alarmed. Kendall patted Carlos' cheek a couple times, before outright slapping him. I felt my stomach try to revolt as Carlos remained motionless. Kendall pulled back, worry covering his usually composed features.

Wordlessly, I reached out and pulled Carlos' eyelid up. Everyone let out a collective gasp at the emptiness under it.

"What- What the hell?" James stuttered. He backed away from the bed, looking horrified. "What- how- I don't…" He reached the wall and slid down limply.

Kendall looked pale and faintly queasy. "Logan, how could you tell he…?" Kendall took a deep breath. "How is that even possible?"

I bit my lip, not answering. This was all my fault. I'd had these dreams twice now. That woman had as good as warned me something bad was going to happen. Why had I kept silent? Why hadn't I tried to warn one of my best friends that his life could be in danger?

"We need to call an ambulance," Kendall announced.

"No."

"What? Why?" Kendall looked at me in surprise.

"It's not going to help him."

"How can you be so sure? I know you want to be a doctor and all, but that doesn't mean-"

I cut him off, "I just know Kendall."

"How?" I shook my head hopelessly before dropping it into my hands.

Kendall knelt in front of me and pulled my hands away from my face. I met his questioning gaze and couldn't help but look down. Guilt was crushing me. This was all my fault.

"Logan, talk to me. What's going on?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Indecision ate at me. Thoughts clashed in my head, pulled me apart. Some part of me was still denying this, wanting, begging that this wasn't happening. I looked into Kendall's green eyes and found the resolve to settle myself. I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Here's what happened."

{?}

I don't know when I lost them. It might've been when I told them about the woman being in the bathroom mirror. I don't know. When I'd started, I'd had their undivided attention, but as the story progressed, they'd grown more and more disbelieving.

Kendall interrupted me as I got to the part about the woman grabbing my wrist, "Logan, you can't possible believe any of this? You have proof right there. Your wrist looks completely normal."

"But it isn't, Kendall. I can feel it inside me. There's like a band of sand grains embedded under my skin. Plus the skin is blue underneath the bandage."

Kendall rolled his eyes, "This isn't helping Carlos. We need to get him to a hospital." Kendall rose to his feet and flipped out his cell phone.

"Look at it." I unwrapped the bandage and held out my wrist. Kendall looked at it briefly, but I could see he still wasn't convinced.

"Logan," he began gently. "That could just as easily be marker. I don't know why you're trying to get us to believe this, but we don't have time for this. Carlos needs help."

"I'm telling you. The paramedics can't help him. He isn't sick or injured. That woman did something to him." I wasn't sure why I so adamantly believed science couldn't help Carlos, just a gut feeling I guess. Besides, the medics would begin asking all sorts of questions. Questions none of us could answer. We couldn't deal with all that right now. If my nightmares were visions of horrors to come, things were going to get worse. "Just touch my wrist, Kendall, and tell me you feel nothing."

Kendall sighed, but decided to indulge me. He wrapped his pointer finger and his thumb around my wrist and squeezed. I could tell immediately that he felt something. His face paled considerably. "That's just… that could be anything."

"It isn't. You have to trust me Kendall. Why would I make this up?"

"I don't know, Logie. It just sounds so crazy."

"I know. Believe me, I know, but it's all true. This isn't marker. I was just in the pool. It didn't wash off, and you felt it yourself. You know this is real."

Kendall looked so conflicted. I'd never seen him so indecisive.

"I believe him," James, silent up till now, finally spoke up.

"You do?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Truth is stranger than fiction, right?" I nodded gratefully.

James and I both looked to Kendall. He paced the room, pulling his hands in and out of his pockets. One hand ran through his hair, making it stand on end. Kendall finally sighed, "Okay. This is the strangest I've ever heard, but okay." He looked at me. "What happened next?"

I finished explaining the rest of my encounters in elsewhere and ended with waking up on the pool deck.

"So you saw this happen, in your dream? The dust or dark stuff or whatever you called it, just stole Carlos' eyes?" James clarified.

I nodded.

"Okay, so how do we fix Carlos?" Kendall asked.

I opened my mouth, but realized I still had no idea. My only thought for the past twenty-five minutes had been getting them to believe me. Now that they did, I didn't exactly have a plan for helping Carlos. "I don't know. I don't know what's happening or who's doing this. I don't even know why. All I know is, I see these things when I'm unconscious, and up till now they haven't happened in real life, but now…" I trailed off miserably, "Jeez guys, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Kendall and James stared at me incredulously, "What?" they both said simultaneously.

"That same night I woke you up Kendall was the first night I dreamed about… this. If I'd done something sooner or said something to one of you guys…" I couldn't go any further, guilt eating up my words.

"Logan," Kendall started.

"No," I responded, jumping to my feet. "You can't deny it Kendall. If I had been smarter, made better choices, I don't know, but I didn't, and Carlos is paying the price." I stood agitatedly in the middle of the room, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"Logan," Kendall moved in front of me and grasped my arms, "You didn't do this," he stated firmly. "You thought they were just nightmares, like any normal person would. You had no reason to think Carlos might actually be in danger."

"He's right, you know," James said standing up behind Kendall. "This isn't your fault, Logan."

I shook my head. They were wrong. Regardless of their words, this was at least partially my fault. Intentionally or not, I'd let one of my best friends get hurt. I could have prevented it, but I'd been too afraid, too afraid of what they'd think, and too afraid to face the truth myself. I steeled my resolve. This was my fault, but I could fix it. I would fix it. Carlos would not pay for my ineptitude. I would find a way to rescue him, no matter what. I opened my mouth to answer Kendall and James, and the lights went out.

**Another chapter down! Gasp! What will happen next? Tune in tomorrow for the next thrilling installment! For a sneak preview, click the review button! (not really! I just want reviews!)**


	8. Epicenter

**This chapter was so freaking hard to write. I don't know why, but it just killed me. Nothing came out like I wanted it to, and I probably re-wrote this one part like five times. Anyway, I hope you all like it, thanks for all the reviews, and on with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: insert standard disclaimer here. **

The lights went out, and James let out one of his girly shrieks. I spun around, uselessly searching the void for any sign of movement. "It's just a power outage," Kendall assured us, sounding much calmer than I felt, but that's because I knew better.

"No it's not. This happened before. The darkness is here." James and Kendall were standing so close I could feel them tense up at my words.

"Do you think it's here to finish with Carlos?" Kendall asked me softly.

I shrugged, knowing no one could see me, "I don't know. I didn't think it would come this fast."

The air in the room stilled with tension. All my muscles were taut, waiting for something to happen. Adrenalin flooded my system, preparing my body for whatever was to come. I kept my breathing even, kept control of myself. Panicking wouldn't help anyone right now.

I felt James fidget next to me, nervously. Kendall's breathing had picked up in anticipation. Then I felt what I'd been dreading: an invisible gust had swept across the room. "It's here."

James shuddered upon hearing my words, "What's it going to do?"

"I don't-" but I was cut off by an object soaring across the room; I felt it whistle past my head. It slammed into the opposite wall with a crash.

"What was that?" Kendall exclaimed.

"It's the dust! We have to get out of here!" I yelled, taking a step in the direction of the door. I could feel sharp flecks of dust bouncing off my skin.

"What about Carlos?"

I heard the agitation in Kendall's voice. He wouldn't leave Carlos behind. "Grab him, but hurry. We've got to get away from here." I heard the bed creak and assumed Kendall had Carlos. I stumbled to the door, of course Carlos and James had the one bedroom without a window. Grasping the handle, I yanked on it, but it wouldn't budge. "The door's stuck!" I yelled frantically. Something near the desk rattled, and I heard a thump a few seconds later.

"Let me try." James nudged me aside. He pulled fruitlessly, then growling, set his foot on the wall and pushed, but the door refused to open. "I can't get it either!"

"We can't stay here guys!" Kendall shouted, strain evident in his voice.

"There's no other way out!" James responded. Another crack resounded through the room.

"The closet!" It was the only thing I could think of. If we couldn't escape the flying debris in here, maybe we could hide in the closet. At the very least, it got us out of the direct line of fire.

James, the closest to the door, flung it open, shouting, "It's open!"

I ushered Kendall through, then pulled the door closed after myself. The closet was as dark as the outer room, but the dust didn't seem to have entered here. Something thudded against the door, shaking the whole frame. James gave a squeak.

It was really cramped in the closet. It was good sized, as far are closets went, it had to be to accommodate all of James' outfits, but it wasn't really comfortable for four teenage boys. Kendall groaned, before saying, "Is there anywhere I can set Carlos down?"

"Um…" I felt around, feeling for any vacant space. My hands found some shoes and a couple boxes. I shifted them out of the way. "There's room right in front of me."

"And that would be where?"

I mentally smacked myself. "Here," I guided Kendall to the spot I'd created and helped him lower Carlos from his shoulders.

Random crashes were still emanating from the bedroom. Kendall, James, and I slid into sitting positions, each of us with our knees pulled up to our chests. "This is way creepy," I heard Kendall mutter.

I couldn't help but smile a little. My friends were taking this surprisingly well. I knew I wouldn't have believed me this quickly. A particularly loud thump caused us all to jump.

Kendall and James, on either side of me, pressed in a little closer. I leaned against Kendall's shoulder and felt around till my fingers closed around James'. Kendall put his arm around my shoulders, and I felt James tighten his hand around mine.

A weight that I didn't know I was carrying suddenly lifted from my shoulders. I didn't realize how much this was affecting me, carrying this around all by myself. It was immensely relieving to know that my best friends believed me, and that I didn't have to try to tackle this on my own. I could still feel the guilt bubbling in the pit of my stomach, but I knew we'd take care of this together, as a team, like we always did. I sighed, and settled in to wait.

{?}

After what felt like hours, the noises from the other room ceased. Kendall made to stand up, but I put a hand on his arm to stop him, "Let's just be sure it's gone." I felt him sit back down.

Minutes later, and no sound had come from the bedroom. I decided it was safe to go. Standing up, I slowly pushed the door open. My right wrist tingled sharply. It felt almost as if the dust were straining against my wrist, trying to escape. I ignored it and looked into the still dark room. I felt a light spray on my face then I collapsed.

_Elsewhere_

Logan woke up on the same gray plane he'd visited the times before, but with one exception. He wasn't alone. Eyes sliding into focus, Logan turned his head sluggishly catching sight of a flash of flaming red. The woman from before, perched cross-legged on a boulder, smiled perkily at him, "Hi honey, how ya feeling?"

Logan groaned and sat up. He rolled his shoulders, working the kinks out. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," she chirped, brushing a lock of hair from her face, "Why are you here?"

Logan looked up at her, squinting in the harsh light. Although the source of the light was still unidentifiable, it reminded Logan of fluorescent lights, the kind they put in schools. "How should I know, you're the one that keeps summoning me here."

She laughed a tinkling laugh, "Not me, dear. I'm just your… handler, I suppose you could call it."

Logan resisted the urge to sigh. _Of course she was his handler. She could have been his fairy godmother for all the good it did him._ "At least tell me your name." That was a simple enough question, right?

"Leila," she answered easily.

"Okay, Leila, if you don't keep bringing me here, then who does?"

Leila laughed again, "Sorry Logan, that's on a need to know basis."

He resisted the urge to scream. He was tired of not understanding anything that had happened recently. He tried another approach, "Fine, who are you Leila?"

"Like I said, I'm a handler. I take care of people, put them where they're supposed to be."

"And you're my handler? What does that mean, you've been orchestrating everything that's happened to me?"

"Exactly." _Okay, but what did this have to do with Carlos?_ He thought.

"Why Carlos? Why all those people? Why did he look like a criminal on trial, for god's sake?"

"He's too bright, too energetic."

"You aren't making any sense."

"You're just not understanding the sense I'm making." She retorted, smiling cheekily.

Logan's mouth gaped open in astonishment. How could she be so jocular?

"This isn't your world Logan. What makes sense there doesn't necessarily apply here. Who I work for and what I do won't make sense to you. The only thing you need to know is they've decided against him."

"Decided against him?" Logan repeated helplessly, despite not understanding the past five minutes, the tone with which she uttered those words petrified him.

"Yes."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

She sighed exasperatedly and changed tack, "This place exists outside of your world. It's elsewhere from everywhere else, but it connects with your plane of existence. On this plane, corporeal forms as you know them, don't exist. This is the plane of the impossible, the subconscious, in essence dreamland. It's where your mind escapes to every time you fall unconscious."

"So-so what you're saying is, nothing here is real?"

"No."

"But you just said-"

"No, Logan Mitchell, listen to me. This place isn't real, in the traditional sense, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect what is real. These worlds are connected. You saw what happened to your friend."

"What I saw happen to Carlos did happen in the real world."

"Did it? I distinctly remember you witnessing it on this plane."

"Yeah, but when it happened for real, I was here, and he was there."

"Not all of him."

"What?"

"Your friend was unconscious. He was dreaming. Part of him was here."

"What? What part?"

"Think back, what did the darkness take from your friend?"

"Uh, his eyes?"

"Ever heard that the eyes are the window to the soul?"

No. No, she couldn't mean that. It stopped him cold. Everything was clicking into place, arranging neatly in his brain. Laid out in front of him was the explanation to everything that had been happening. "Oh god."

"I know. It's a lot to comprehend."

"Are you saying that-that the dust it to-took his soul?" The last word came out in a hoarse whimper.

"Bingo."

Logan was glad he was sitting down. Before, he'd had no idea what was going on. Now, he wished he could go back to that blissful ignorance. The truth was too hard to take in. "Does that mean… Is Carlos… He's not dead is he?" Logan cowered, fearing the answer.

"No, he can still be saved."

Logan went limp with relief. He had failed his friend, but he could still redeem himself. "How?"

"As of right now, his soul is trapped on this plane, awaiting on the fate that was decided."

"What fate?"

"The guardian needs energy to survive. Your friend is a prime candidate."

"The-this guardian is going to _eat_ Carlos?"

Leila wrinkled her nose in distaste, "I would not have put it so crassly, but yes, in essence, that is what's going to happen."

"How do I save him?"

"Find his soul, and set him free."

Logan paused, a thought niggling at his brain, "Leila… why are you helping me if your 'guardian' needs to be fed."

"I don't work for the guardian." Logan kneaded his forehead, this was way too complicated, hadn't she just said… "This is bigger than what you think, Logan," she continued, "You're just a pawn in a much bigger game."

"I don't understand," he ground out frustrated.

"Follow my instructions and you won't have to."

Logan wanted to question her further. He wanted to shake her until she began making sense, but before he could even rise to his feet, he felt a tugging in his chest, and everything was gone with a whoosh and a bright light.

**So, I'm not sure if this chapter is totally cheating or not, but I just couldn't make my words communicate what I was thinking. If you were hoping for some sort of explanation, I'm sorry. That's as good as it gets for the moment. If you wish to leave a comment, or a complaint (at this point I think it may be justified) access the blue link at the bottom of this page. **


	9. Undulate

**Hello everyone. Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay. I've been busy, but here it is. New chapter, yay! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: The author disclaims the rights to Big Time Rush, but I still own the story! That's something, right? Right?**

"Look James, I think he's coming to."

"Logan? Logan, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright light. Kendall and James were hovering over me, staring down at me with anxious eyes. I sat up, shaking off their assistance. They both sat back and smiled.

"Jeez Logan," Kendall said, with a relieved exhalation, "you scared the crap out of us. One second you were opening the door, the next you were laying on the ground unconscious. James and I thought the dust had gotten to you."

"In a way, it did," I answered. "I went back there, to Elsewhere."

Frowning, James asked, "What happened? Is someone else going to get attacked?"

"No, nothing like that. I talked to Leila." They stared at me blankly, "Leila's the red haired woman from my nightmares. She told me what happened to Carlos, sort of." I paused, trying to remember everything she'd said.

"Well, what happened?" James demanded, impatiently.  
"She said Carlos is too bright. The other people in my dream have judged against him or something. They're going to give him to the guardian, or his soul anyway."

This time I could do nothing to relieve the confused looks. I barely knew anymore than they did, but I took a stab at explaining my own personal theory, "Leila compared Elsewhere to dreamland. She said it was where your consciousness went when you were asleep."

"So, Elsewhere is where you brain goes when you're asleep, like where your dreams are?" Kendall asked.

"I think so. The people there found Carlos when he was asleep and decided he'd be a good candidate to feed to their 'guardian."

"Why Carlos, though?" James exclaimed.

"I don't know!" I burst out, throwing my hands up helplessly. "The only thing Leila said was that he was too… bright." Wait. Too bright… No offense to Carlos, but he wasn't exactly the smartest guy around, so when Leila said "bright" she wasn't talking smarts, but- "It's because he has so much energy."

They looked at me, waiting for me to explain.

"Think about it. Carlos is always bouncing off the walls and pulling crazy stunts. If the guardian eats souls, it's like eating a person's life energy, right? And who has more energy than Carlos?"

Kendall and James exchanged looks, believing me, but still confused.

I wracked my brain, trying to make everything fit together. I started from the beginning, going off the information Leila had given me, and drawing some conclusions of my own, "Okay, here's what we know so far. Whenever people sleep, their souls go to Elsewhere. Inside Elsewhere, there are at least two factions of people fighting against each other. Leila is on one side, and the people who took Carlos and who serve the guardian are on another. The dust also lives in Elsewhere, and I'm pretty sure it serves the guardian. If Leila and the dust are any examples to go by, people from Elsewhere can come down to reality, or else Leila is a real person, and that's her real body."

I stopped for a second. I hadn't really thought about Leila being real before. She could be. I went to Elsewhere and came back to reality all the time. I shook my head. That was irrelevant at the moment. "Skip that, it's not important. Anyway, the dust first attacked Carlos' soul in Elsewhere. Maybe it was marking him or preparing him or something, I don't know, but then it came here and attacked his real body, sealing his soul in Elsewhere. Now, Carlos is trapped on Elsewhere, waiting for the guardian to devour his life force."

"Okay," Kendall nodded. His mouth twisted in an ironic smirk, "That makes as much sense as anything else, but how do we save Carlos?"

I ran my hands through my hair, considering, "We have to get to Elsewhere. Leila said we could save him, but I assume we have to free his soul from Elsewhere. We can't do much for him here."

"That's great for you, Logan. You get yanked there all the time, but how do James and I get there?"

"What do you mean? You guys aren't coming."

"Uh, yeah we are. We're a team. If one of us is in trouble, all of us are."

"Kendall it's too dangerous. I'll go by myself. I'm not risking you guys."

"You don't have a choice Logan. We're coming whether you like it or not."

I was silent for a moment. I knew my best friends were the most amazing people ever, but sometimes I forgot just how far that loyalty extended. Warmth filled my chest, and I had to hold back tears. "Okay, you're right."

He nodded, satisfied. "Good, but that still doesn't answer my question. How do we all get there?"

I laid back on the carpeting, sighing in frustration, "I don't know. I seem to be there every time I fall unconscious. Maybe if I was holding on to you guys, and we passed out at the same time?"

"Two problems with that, how do you know that'll work? And how are we all going to knock ourselves out?"

"I don't know if it'll work, but do you have any better ideas?"

Kendall opened his mouth, but then closed it dejectedly. I sighed again, but then James said, "I have an idea."

{?}

I don't know why I let James talk me into this. It seemed like a good idea in our room, but now that we were actually doing it…

He based his epiphany on falling off a cliff. I think his exact words were, "You know how if you fall off something in a dream, you instantly wake back up? What if we jump off something in the real world and it sends us to Elsewhere?" It sounded good in theory, but now that we were standing on a second floor balcony overlooking the pool, I wasn't so sure. If it didn't work, the worst that would happen was we fell twenty feet into the pool. It might hurt, but it wouldn't kill us. If it did work, our bodies would be left floating in the pool, but I'd accounted for that too. Buddha Bob was scheduled to check the area in a few minutes.

I was almost glad for nearly drowning this morning. Mr. Bitters had heard what happened and closed the pool to everyone, indefinitely. He didn't want any lawsuits. Now the pool was totally deserted, and no one could stop us from doing something that looked totally suicidal.

Today seemed to be our lucky day. James had lured Bitters away from his office claiming there was an unauthorized party on the fourth floor, while Kendall and I had searched Bitters' computer for a room over the pool. We'd hit the jackpot, finding one right where we needed it. Even better, it was unoccupied. We'd just snagged the key, when we heard Bitters returning, and got out of there quick. It had worked perfectly.

I ran a mental checklist of everything we had on us. I knew from past experience that whatever I had on me when I went into Elsewhere, was whatever I had on when I got there. The three of us all had watches, our hockey sticks strapped to our backs, our cell phones (I didn't know if they'd work in Elsewhere, but we brought them just in case), and backpacks with water and granola bars, (again, I didn't know if they'd do us any good in Elsewhere, but better to be prepared). Kendall had his Swiss army knife, I had a first aid kit, and James had his lucky comb. We were as ready as we could ever be. I just hoped it would be enough.

We climbed over the railing of the balcony and stood on the edge, hands behind us gripping the black bar. I swallowed audibly. The balconies never looked this high up when you were on the ground. We'd decided to wait until we actually saw Buddha Bob coming, before we jumped. If this worked, we had to give him enough time to save all of us before someone drowned. I nearly laughed, this was a life or death situation for us, but even if it weren't, this is the kind of thing we might be doing normally anyway. We had about a minute before Buddha Bob was supposed to show up, and I broke the silence.

"Guys, I want you to know I'm sorry for all this."

James gave an incredulous snort and Kendall looked at me in disbelief. "What are you sorry for?" Kendall demanded.

"I got us into all this. It's my fault. I'm sorry you guys have to risk yourselves to fix my mistake."

Kendall sighed and shook his head, "Logan, this. Isn't. Your. Fault." He annunciated each word slowly, as if he thought I was stupid. Which, come to think of it, he probably did.

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it, and I'm only going to say this one more time, you couldn't have stopped this. Even if you believed your nightmares were more than nightmares, what could you have done? You've done everything you could Logan, and you're about to do more. Carlos is lucky to have a friend like you. Without you, we wouldn't even know what had happened. So stop being so self-deprecating and suck it up. We're not going to let you blame yourself for this."

I smiled at him, blinking back a sudden onrush of emotion. "Thanks Kendall," I said softly.

"Anytime, Logie," he said, returning my smile.

"Uh, I hate to break up the moment," James said, "but Buddha Bob is coming."

We all turned to face forward and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I love you guys," I said.

"Me too."

"Ditto."

I reached out and grabbed Kendall's right hand and James' left, and then we jumped.

**End of chapter eight! Woo! Actually, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. If anything is still confusing or you didn't understand some of my explanation, send me a review, and I'll try to address it, m'kay? Or review anyway. Please?**


	10. Faultline

**Hello Peanuts! Here's chapter 9! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed**! **You're all amazing! **

**Disclaimer: I own the right to call you all Peanut. However, I don't own Big Time Rush.  
**

I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind whipped past me. I braced myself for an impact that never came. When I opened my eyes, I was in Elsewhere. Through my own volition, and Kendall and James were there. I laughed, relieved.

Kendall's eyes were open wide in wonder. He stared around, taking it all in. He dropped my hand as he spun around slowly. James stood beside me, eyes still tightly shut. I nudged him gently, "It's okay, James. You can open your eyes now." He timidly cracked his eyes open, jaw going slack at the sight before him. He released his death grip on my fingers, and mimicked Kendall's spin.

"Woah," Kendall breathed. "I know this is how you described this place, Logan, but… woah."

Today, Elsewhere was still gray and rocky, but there were mountains in the distance on all sides. We appeared to be in the center of an enormous valley. In the distance, I could see a tornado wheeling across the open plane. I tensed for a second, but we were too far away for it to see us.

"How do we find Carlos?" James asked.

Kendall looked to me for an answer too, "Um…" I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, "I don't know. I didn't really plan past getting us here."

"It's a good thing I've been keeping an eye on you boys, or you'd never get anything done." I whipped around at the sound of the voice, and saw Leila standing behind me, one hand on her hip. Her flaming hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. She wore the same clothes I'd seen her in before.

"Leila," I greeted her.

"Hello Logan, I see you brought your friends this time."

"Yeah, this is-"

She cut me off, "I know, Kendall and James. I know all about them. Hello gentleman." Kendall nodded at her, looking as if he could accept anything after the last two days. James just stared at her.

"You know how we can find, Carlos?" I inquired, hopefully.

"Just concentrate on him."

Kendall, James, and I exchanged glances. Kendall raised an eyebrow, conveying "Why not?" without words.

I felt a little silly, but I dutifully closed my eyes and pictured my Hispanic best friend. I thought of his contagious grin, his sparkly brown eyes, and his ubiquitous helmet. I could see him perfectly, as if he was standing right in front of me. My heart ached at the thought, wishing it could be true. I opened my eyes, wondering what was supposed to have happened, and gasped. A thin, red string trailed off into the distance. It glowed faintly, but when I brought it to my fingers, I could feel it, smooth and faintly warm.

I looked to Kendall, wanting to share my discovery, but I didn't need to. He had a glowing line too. It seemed to grow right out of his chest, where his heart would be. A quick look at James confirmed he had one as well. Kendall's wondering eyes met mine, and we shared an incredulous look. It was like we had a lifeline straight to Carlos.

"They're lifelines," I murmured to myself, but Leila heard me.

"Exactly. When the four of you became best friends, you each gave one another a piece of yourselves. Within all of you is a piece of Carlo's life force. He never even realized he gave it to you."

That gave me an idea. I closed my eyes and pictured Kendall the same way I'd pictured Carlos. Green eyes, blond hair, caterpillar eyebrows, all came together to form confident, overprotective Kendall. Opening my eyes, I grinned delightedly when I saw a green line connecting me to Kendall. I had a piece of him with me too.

I tried again with James. In my mind's eye I saw immaculate hair, impeccable fashion sense, and ambition tempered with caring devotion that was James. When I looked up, a blue line connected me to James. I couldn't stop grinning.

I never needed physical proof to know my best friends cared about me, but this everything even better. I could see the connection between us, and it made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Kendall had noticed what I was doing, and I could see him trying it too. It wasn't long before he had a blue line shooting towards James and a yellow one connected to me. James took a moment longer, but he achieved the same results. We spent a minute grinning stupidly at each other, reveling in our new found talent.

Leila cleared her throat loudly, "I hate to break up the bromance blossoming here, but could you three please focus? I didn't set this all up just to have you three ruin my plans."

We sobered up quickly, remembering why we were here. "Why did you set this up?" Kendall asked eyebrows scrunched quizzically. "If you're against the guardian why didn't you just stop him yourself?"

I had been wondering the same thing.

"I couldn't. I'm not allowed to interfere directly. That's why I brought Logan here. I can't stop the guardian, but you three can."

I was beginning to hate talking to Leila, "Why?"

"The guardian isn't natural. It's a leech feeding off the energy here. It's tricked and warped souls here into serving it. Those are the ones that condemned your friend. They have bodies in the real world; they're real people. I'm not. I work here, for the creator."

"Who's the creator?" James asked. Just what we needed, another inhuman life form that sounded like it belonged in a cheesy supernatural horror story.

"The creator isn't a sentient entity, not in any sense you would understand anyway. It is the energy that created this place. The creator is this place. This world shifts. It appears different every night, for every person. No two dreams are ever the same. That is the creator's power."

"But Logan," Kendall turned to me, "this place is pretty much exactly like you described it. It hasn't changed, has it?"

I shook my head, turning to Leila with my eyebrows raised.

"The Elsewhere that you've been seeing is the true Elsewhere. Imagine an empty room. You paint the walls pink, hang pictures on the walls, move furniture in. It's still the same room, no? Then say someone else moves in. They change everything. They repaint the walls and move in all of their things. The room looks different, but it's still the same one from the beginning. The true Elsewhere is an empty room waiting to be decorated depending on the individual's dreams. You three aren't exactly dreaming, so you see Elsewhere for what it is."

It made sense, in a way. I looked at my friends, and they were both nodding like they understood. "Okay, so you work for the creator, and you can't stop the guardian, but we can?" I clarified.

She nodded.

"What about the other people here? How do we deal with them?"

"They shouldn't be a problem. They are normal humans like yourselves. The guardian pulled them from their dreamlands and brought them here to true Elsewhere. They can't do anything that you can't do."

"Why do they obey the guardian?" Kendall wanted to know.

"He promised them something they couldn't refuse."

"What?"

"The sweetest dreams imaginable. That is why the guardian devours life forces. It's trying to gain enough power to overthrow the creator and subsequently take over this plane. When it has control, it can make people's dream whatever it wants. The wayward souls that took this deal believe they will be rewarded beyond imagination."

"You don't sound too convinced." I commented.

She smiled humorlessly, "I'm not. They will probably be destroyed the second it gains enough power." She was silent a moment, "Enough questions. It's time you three rescue your friend." I blinked, and she was gone.

{?}

Walking across the plane was similar to the time I'd walked to that mirror. If I couldn't see the mountains in the distance growing steadily closer, I would have thought we weren't moving.

For the most part we walked in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Leila had explained a lot, but she'd left some questions unanswered. My least favorite being, why had she marked me? She'd said it was so that I wouldn't forget this was real, but she'd also given me another reason. I wished I could remember it. It might give me some more answers.

I stopped walking when I noticed Kendall and James had stopped. I'd been trailing behind them and stopped when I came up even with them. Looking up I realized why they weren't moving. "This is going to be a problem."

**Voila! End of Chapter! Review!**


	11. Seism

**Here we go! New chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Question though, is this getting boring? Someone told me it was. What do you all think?**

If I'd been paying more attention, I probably would have noticed that we'd reached the foothills of the mountain range we were aiming for. If I'd been paying more attention than that, I would have realized the lifeline lead straight up the mountain, to what appeared to be the summit. So, to say we had a problem, was putting it mildly.

"How are we going to scale a _mountain_?" James asked in a defeated voice.

"Just hang on a second," Kendall placated. "We'll figure something out. Logan, ideas?"

"Um, we could…" I honestly had no idea. We didn't have any of the gear necessary for rough terrain. I was counting on the flatlands I'd become used to when being dragged here, but then I was struck by inspiration, "Well, this is dreamland, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"You can do anything in dreams. Maybe we can imagine mountain climbing gear or something."

James looked at me like I was insane. Kendall looked skeptical. I shrugged. I didn't see them coming up with any brilliant ideas.

"It doesn't work like that, remember? Leila said that 'creator' thing made your dreams every night. It has the power to do stuff like that, but we don't," James argued.

"Yeah, but she also said the guardian uses human life forces to power itself. Last time I checked we were humans and alive. We should be able to use our own life forces to do some stuff."

"Fine, makes us an elevator then, if you're so smart."

"Fine." We were both a little edgy from worry over Carlos and the impossibly long trek over here. I tried picturing an elevator. At first nothing happened, but then I felt stirring in my core. A tingling sensation shot down to my fingertips, and I gasped when an elevator started shimmering into existence before us. It gradually gained definition, becoming clearer and clearer. James and Kendall cheered. I was happy with this for about thirty seconds, before I realized something was wrong.

My body was growing weaker and weaker. My legs were trembling and the muscles in my arms shook. I felt like all the energy in my body was being sucked out my fingers. I tried desperately to cut off the flow and succeeded with a wrenching feeling in my gut. The elevator winked out of sight, and I collapsed to my knees, panting.

Kendall and James were at my sides in an instant, holding me up. "Logan! Logan, what's wrong? What happened?"

I caught my breath before responding, "I'm okay. I'm good." I panted, "We can definitely use our own energy to make things. We can definitely _not_ use it for stuff as big as elevators."

Kendall and James held on to me until I regained my strength, before we stood up to think of a new plan. "Maybe if we just imagine some ropes or something?" Kendall suggested.

"Yeah, maybe some kind of pulley system?" I answered.

"Maybe we could fly!"

Kendall and I both burst out laughing at James' words. It was such a Carlos thing to say. A pang shot through my heart as I thought that. Carlos would love this right now.

"No guys, I'm serious. You can fly all the time in dreams. It could work."

I considered it. Flying would only take enough energy to lift our own bodies. If we flew when we needed to, but climbed when we could, we might be able to do it. "Okay, James, let's try it."

Kendall stopped laughing abruptly, "Are you sure Logan?"

"No, but it sounds like a good idea. I think we should try it. We don't exactly know the limitations to our new abilities, but we don't have time to practice. We're just going to have to go by trial and error."

I could see the wheels turning as Kendall contemplated it. Finally, he said, "If you say so, I'm willing to try anything if it means we can save Carlos."

"Okay, to save our strength, we should levitate when we need to, but climb if at all possible. What do you guys think?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah let's do it."

We all closed our eyes and imagined ourselves rising off the ground, or at least, that's what I did. I opened my eyes carefully and saw I was about three feet off the ground. It was the strangest sensation. I was weightless. I wasn't tied down. I was completely free. Everything was suddenly limitless. It was exhilarating. If I wasn't so worried about Carlos, this would be the most amazing moment of my life.

I pushed myself forward slightly, with just a thought, and I was resting on a ledge ten feet off the ground. Kendall and James came to rest on similar ledges. I saw my feeling of awe reflected on their faces.

We made our precarious way up the mountain in this manner. I felt a little bit like an ibex, those animals that leap up and down mountainsides. Everything was going smoothly, until I felt that familiar ripple, that shift that signified a change in this place. The landscape didn't change, and I looked around, wondering what had caused it. I blanched when I saw it.

The sky was no longer the unbroken black it had always seen. It was now mottled with red, looking like an angry bruise. That couldn't be good. Sure enough, an ominous rumbling started above us, and we stopped in our ascent. I saw Kendall and James looking around, confused. "Guys-" I started, but was cut off as hundreds of boulders began tumbling down toward us.

I threw myself to the left as one the size of a cantaloupe hurtled at me. I heard James and Kendall yelling, but couldn't turn to look at them, for fear of taking my eyes from the falling rocks. I dodged the smaller projectiles, all the while looking for an escape route. I scanned the cliff face, but didn't see any immediate safe house. A golf ball sized rock clipped my shoulder, throwing me off balance. I lost my footing and slid a few feet before managing to catch myself. Breathing heavily, I couldn't pause to catch my breath as the onslaught continued.

I was becoming frantic, when I heard Kendall yell my name. I took a chance and looked up at him. He was gesturing wildly to a cave about thirty feet above us. His message was obvious: get to the cave.

I used my levitation and shot up towards it, but before I got ten feet, my heart stopped. A massive boulder was plummeting straight for me. There was no way I could avoid it. Instinctively, I shut my eyes and concentrated as hard as I could on not getting hit. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the boulder dissolve into thousands of tiny bubbles, that began popping almost as soon as they were created.

I smiled in relief, but it was short lived. My feat had used up my strength, and I felt myself falling. I latched onto the ledge and held on. My feet scrabbled uselessly against the rock, finding no foothold. My arms shook with the effort of holding my whole body. My fingers cramped as they clung to the jagged edge.

I tried to summon the power to levitate again, but didn't have the energy. More rocks rained down, but thankfully none near enough to do any damage. My muscles screamed, and I knew I would have to do something quick, if I didn't want to plummet to my doom.

Maybe I couldn't fly, but I could attempt to make a ledge under my feet. At least I wouldn't be in danger of falling then. I'd have a better chance of being crushed, but it was a start. I centered myself and concentrated only on forming stone beneath my feet. My shoulders sagged with relief as I felt support beneath my sneakers. I let go of the ledge, but couldn't unbend my fingers. The muscles were too tense.

I started as I realized I no longer heard the thunderous rumbling. The rockslide had stopped. I rested my forehead against my hands, murmuring thanks to whatever deity I could think of, but it was then that it struck me. Where were Kendall and James?

**Dun dun dun! For those of you who weren't hoping for a cliffhanger, all I can say is, where have you been for the last nine chapters? I always end in cliffhangers, unless it's the end of the story, which would still infuriate most of you anyway. So sorry, for once again leaving you all hanging. Please review! Despite the anger, you know you want to!**


	12. Collapse

**Second to last chapter! Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm sorry if this story is getting way out there. I'm trying to finish it off. Probably one more, and it'll be done. My sister and editor, says hi by the way. **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. **

I stood on my little ledge and listened with all my might. Nothing, no sound anywhere. Panic gripped me, accelerating my heart rate. I tried conjuring up their lifelines, but no such luck. I didn't know what was wrong. Maybe I was too tired even for that small exertion. I looked up and spotted the cave that Kendall had pointed at. They had to be in there. If they weren't… No. I had to believe they were okay. I couldn't have let anything else happen to my best friends.

Slowly, but steadily I began scaling the cliff face. I had no energy to do anything, but my anxiety drove me to move. The distance from me to the cave seemed to multiply with every second that passed. I took it one move at a time. Left hand first. Then right hand. Left foot. Right foot. One move at a time. Finally-finally, I reached the last ledge. Heaving myself up on trembling arms, I hooked one leg over the edge and hauled myself inside.

I blinked allowing my eyes to adjust to the dimmer light of the cave. My stomach dropped when I didn't immediately see anything. I dropped to my knees, despair overwhelming me. I curled my hands into the rough floor of the cave. My shoulders shook, and I trembled violently. I leaned forward pressing my forehead into the cool stone. No. No. No. No. No. This was all my fault. First Carlos, now James and Kendall, how did I let this happen? I was so worthless. I tightened my fist and slammed it into the ground next to my head.

A sudden noise from in front of me had me raising my head. It sounded far away, but how could that be? Where did this cave end? I stood up and stumbled to the edge of the cave. Running my hand along the smooth wall, I started down the cave.

As I walked, I noticed spots of blue light. There appeared to be a type of bioluminescent moss growing on the walls. Before long, I could see well enough to lower my hand from its guiding position. I strained to hear more sounds. Occasionally I thought I heard the scuffling of footsteps, but I couldn't be sure. Then I heard a voice that forever exculpated my spirits.

"Come on James, they're gone. We've got to find Logan."

I sprinted forward, not caring that the ground was uneven. I skidded around a bend and came face to face with Kendall. "Kendall!"

"Logan!" he cried joyfully. He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, and I returned it just as hard. Another body slammed into us, and I felt another arm around my back.

After we broke apart, I felt my grin slipping. We still had to get to Carlos. "What happened to you guys? Are you alright? How did you end up all the way back here?"

Kendall and James exchanged a shudder. "We're fine. We got chased by these… things, like bats almost, only they didn't fly. They kind of scuttled around on the ground. It was nasty."

I curled a lip at the mental image. "We need to get back out there. We have to get out to Carlos."

"I think we might have a better way," Kendall answered. "While we were running, I saw another tunnel that went upward. I could see a light at the end. It might let out at the top."

I was up for anything at this point. "Let's do it."

Kendall led the way deeper into the tunnel, the soft light from the moss illuminating our path. I really hoped we didn't run into any of the creatures Kendall had described. I didn't know how much more conflict I could take at the moment.

We reached the connecting tunnel and started up a steep slope. There was indeed a light at the top. However, getting there was becoming exhausting. I was so drained from the avalanche. Kendall and James seemed in better shape, but I could see the exertion starting to wear on them too. Hopefully, we'd have enough energy when we got up there to help Carlos.

We came to the end of the tunnel, and I shielded my eyes from the suddenly bright light. The sky was still the pulsing red and black. We'd been let out in a bowl shaped area, with jagged cliffs forming an open-topped dome over us. Across the bowl, I spotted a rectangular rock formation that looked almost like a cage. I squinted harder. It _was_ a cage… with none other than Carlos in it!

I took off across the dome, yelling, "Carlos! Carlos! We're here! We came to rescue you!"

I saw the figure in the cage shift and come to stand grasping the bars. "Logan?"

"We're coming Carlos! Don't worry we'll get you out!"

I slid to a stop in front of the bars. Carlos grinned out at me. His familiar, contagious smile lighting up his face and yes _his eyes_. I wrapped a hand around his hand clenching the bars. "You don't know how good it is to see you," I whispered.

"I think I have an idea," he returned. "You're not the one who's been in a cage for the past forever and a half."

I laughed, "That's not even possible."

"It feels like it."

Kendall and James made it over, shouting ecstatically at finding Carlos. There was much hand grasping and laughing. After a few moments, Carlos got to the heart of the matter. "How are you guys going to get me out of here?"

"Watch," Kendall responded smugly. He put his hands to the bars and concentrated. I watched minute cracks form on the rock restraining our friend. Then they crumbled to dust.

Carlos jumped up and down, grinning so hard it looked like his face was going to crack. "Dude! How did you do that? That was so cool! The bars just like turned to dust! Can you teach me that? I wanna learn! Teach me! Teach me!" Kendall just wrapped his arms around him in a proper hug. James stepped up next.

When it was my turn, I held on tight and whispered softly into his ear, "I'm so sorry Carlos."

He pulled back, holding me at arm's length. Confusion creased his face. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything."

"I just… I'm just sorry okay?"

Carlos smiled again, "Whatever man. I should be thanking you, for saving me and all, but how do we get out of this crazy place. I really want to go home and eat. I'm starving."

"Yeah Logan," Kendall picked up, "How do we get home?" They all looked at me expectantly.

"Uh…" I was prevented from answering by another shift, only I didn't have to look for the cause of this one. It was obvious. The center of the dome bulged and the earth began cracking. It was as if some giant beast was pushing out of the ground. I gasped when I saw fiery red poking out of the fissures. With a groan, the stone gave way and released the monster.

It looked to be made of lava, and I could feel the heat it was giving off from here. Its outline was blurry, and more the implied shape of a human than anything definite. It gave an unearthly roar and turned toward us. It shot a bolt of something red and glowing at us from its hand, and we scattered.

I threw myself down, taking Carlos with me. I felt a scorching heat pass over me and cringed slightly. I slowly looked up, jumping to my feet, when I saw it readying to attack again. I pulled Carlos up. "Come on! We've got to move!"

Carlos and I darted to the left. I felt another fire bolt flash past us, but didn't slow down. We dove behind a rock and caught our breath. The thing gave another roar. I peeked over the rock and saw it walking. It trudged around the bowl, swishing its head from side to side. I wondered if it could see. It didn't appear to have eyes. Although, it didn't have a mouth either, and it kept making those horrible screams. The beast whipped around and shot another blob of steaming hot lava at the boulder Carlos and I were crouched behind. We leapt out of the way, and streaked around the rim, looking for a better hiding place. The tunnel we'd used to get in here came up, and we threw ourselves inside.

I stayed by the opening and scanned the area, looking for Kendall and James, but then I heard an agonized scream. I froze and tried to locate the sound of the noise. I spotted Kendall and wished I hadn't. Kendall was on his knees cradling a body to his chest. There was only one person it could be.

"No," Carlos murmured from over my shoulder. "No James! No!"

Carlos ran out from behind me, heading straight for Kendall. "Carlos wait!" I yelled desperately, but he ignored me. I ran out after him, praying neither of us would get incinerated.

Carlos reached Kendall and fell to his knees. I didn't have to be close enough to see the news wasn't good. Carlos' shoulders slumped, and he gave a heart-wrenching howl. Suddenly he was back up and running _towards_ the monster. I was almost as Kendall's side, but couldn't manage to halt Carlos.

"Carlos you idiot! Stop!" Kendall called desperately. He shifted James' body away from him and rose shakily to his feet. His eyes locked with mine for a moment.

"Is he…?"

Kendall's tortured gaze met mine, "He's not-he's not breathing, Logie. He's got no pulse."

My knees sagged, but I didn't fall. My heart was shattered into a million pieces. I'd just lost one of my best friends, one-fourth of my existence. I felt a piece of my soul being ripped out, must've been whatever piece James had given me. Kendall said something else, but I couldn't hear him through the roaring in my ears. It was only when he turned and ran off that I came to my senses.

I spent one last grief-stricken look on James, before I too took off. I had to protect Carlos and Kendall. I had to stop something bad from happening to them too.

Carlos was running around the behemoth pelting it with small stones. I could see tears coursing down his cheeks, and he was screaming profanities. Kendall was using his power to hurl little streaks of light at the beast that caused it screech in pain. I waded into the fray and tried to call my own powers to life. I sighed when they responded. It seemed I had finally recharged.

I imitated Kendall, sending flashes of pure energy at the thing. I didn't know exactly what I was doing, but it seemed to be working. Even as I felt my abilities responding, they didn't feel the same as before, nor were they as strong. It was as if some vital component was missing, like a piece was gone. I knew what it was, but refused to acknowledge it.

We continued the onslaught. All of us running in different directions, wanting to keep it confused, keep it from hurting anyone else. The heat this close up was unbearable. It was like standing next to an industrial furnace. Sweat poured down my face, making my eyes sting. I felt a fire ball shoot past me, scorching my arm and burning my shirt, but I shrugged it off. A rock in front of me exploded from the impact of another projectile. Shards stung my face.

The creature was showing signs of weakening. It appeared to be growing smaller, and the roars had died down into whimpers. We all fired a shot at if simultaneously, and it folded into itself, collapsing with a hiss.

I stopped running and almost sank to my knees, but that's when I felt the shift. The monster disappeared, and I felt a breeze stirring. My heart stopped. I knew what was coming, and it was much worse than what we'd just faced.

**End of chapter. Cliffhanger. Blah. Blah. Blah. Please review!**


	13. Break

**Wow, if I'd known all I needed to do to get reviews was possibly kill someone, I would have done it ages ago. Thanks to everyone who left me one. You're awesome! In response to a few, I've never seen Inception, but everyone keeps saying this story reminds them of it, so I guess I'll take that as a compliment. To One Man Writing Games specifically, I love you for your review too ;) I was envisioning Victoria when I wrote Leila too, nice catch, and thank you for your epic review. Oh yeah, I was struck by inspiration, and this actually isn't the last chapter. There will be two more chapters after this because I had a brilliant idea, or I think it's brilliant anyway. There might be those who would disagree. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Author disclaims stuff. **

So, I was wrong. Not about this being much worse than the previous attack, just the method by which the guardian was attacking. It had started gradually at first, almost unnoticeable if it didn't seem so out of place. I would have ignored it had we been anywhere but here. It was raining.

Black and red had swirled down from the sky coming to cover the dome, providing the ceiling that wasn't there before. The rain had started falling gently, seeming to caress my burned and battered skin. I welcomed it to begin with. It was calming, soothing.

I realized with a start that I was free to move. I didn't have to expect the worst. The shift had only signified the rain. I sprinted towards James, hoping against hope that it wasn't too late. Kendall and Carlos shadowed me. I looked to the spot where we'd left him… and there was a cloud of dust. It delicately settled on his body. "NO!" I screeched, pushing myself faster.

The dust coated him, coming to rest in a soft pile. It shimmered, giving James a hazy outline. I pumped my legs and arms as fast as I could, willing my body to move faster. James' body was slowly losing definition. It seemed to crumble a little at the edges.

"James! James!" Kendall and Carlos' voices drove my anguish deeper. _Faster Logan! Faster!_

The dust was devouring him, bit by bit. James no longer appeared solid. His body was being absorbed into the dust cloud. Tears poured out of my eyes, blurring my vision. The dust spun lazily, a funnel to suck up the remains of my best friend. I threw myself forward and met empty air. James was gone.

{?}

My shoulders shook in silent sobs. I had collapsed to my knees next to where James had been. Kendall stood in front of me, too shocked to move. I could imagine what he was thinking, that he'd failed, that he'd let us down. He was our valiant leader sworn to protect us, and now he'd let one of us down in the ultimate way possible. I wanted to tell him not to think like that. All of this could have been prevented it I wasn't such an idiot, but I couldn't bring my grief-stricken mouth to utter any words.

Carlos stalked around screaming. He was flailing his arms, and I was sure he was going to hurt himself, but it seemed to be the only way he could deal with the agony.

I was the first to notice the rain. It had been falling steadily for ten minutes now. The light drizzle had increased to a full-out downpour. The ground in the center of the bowl was already under a foot of water. I couldn't muster the strength to be worried.

Fifteen minutes later, I knew we were in trouble. The water had risen, covering about a third of the dome. The center was the deepest point; I'd estimated maybe nine feet of water. That wasn't the problem though. The tunnel through which we'd arrived had been our escape route, but now it was nowhere to be seen. I could only imagine the guardian had sealed it off somehow. We needed to find a new way out.

The obvious answer should have been to rise out of the top of the dome, but, on a whim, I'd tossed a rock up into the clouds, and it had come back a blackened cinder. I didn't want to see what it would do to a human being.

Kendall and Carlos had taken note of the impending danger and were slowly circling the rim, searching for another way out. I didn't think we had the strength to force our way through the stone; we'd save that as a last resort.

"Anything?" I called.

"No."

"No. Logan, we need a new plan. This isn't going to work. We're just going to have to try forcing our way out."

I was about to answer, when the downpour suddenly became a torrent. It was like standing under a waterfall. I was pushed to my knees by the sheer strength. I heard Kendall and Carlos cry out, and I assumed they were experiencing the same thing. I staggered to my feet, gagging on the water pouring over me.

Another thing about the sheet of water, it was ice cold. I wrapped my arms around my torso and slogged through the calf high water. I started towards Carlos, he being the closest. He was clinging to the wall, trying not to be swept into the center. My teeth chattered. The water was so cold it burned.

There was an odd popping sound, and the pull of the water became stronger. I leaned to my right, trying to compensate for the tugging. I concentrated on getting to Carlos. The water was rising so fast. It had already reached my knees. I was so focused that I didn't hear Carlos shouting my name until I was only a few feet from him.

"Logan look!" He was pointing to the center of the bowl.

I turned and gasped. The water in the center of the dome appeared to be disappearing. It was swirling around as if being sucked down a giant drain. It was creating a current that I was starting to feel. In about a minute this place was going to be one giant whirlpool.

The thigh high water pulled at me, and I felt myself slipping. I flung an arm out and Carlos grabbed my forearm. He pulled me over and wrapped an arm around me, holding me next to him.

I situated myself, and he let me go. "We have to get to higher ground!" I yelled. He nodded and pointed to a ledge five feet above us. I got the message, and we began climbing. Thankfully the ledge was fairly wide. We were both shivering as we hauled ourselves out of the frigid water.

I looked out into the whirlpool trying to find Kendall. I panicked when I didn't see him. I'd been hoping he'd climbed out like we had, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Carlos joined me and suddenly shouted, "There!"

I followed his gaze and spotted him struggling against the current. It was too strong, and he could barely keep his head above water. I watched the flow of the water and realized Kendall would be swept right under us. "Carlos, we can get him!"

"What?"

The deluge made it nearly impossible to hear. I mimed leaning over the edge and scooping something up. "Oh!" He nodded vigorously. I lay down on my stomach and scooted over to the edge. Carlos sat on my calves, anchoring me. The water had risen to about two feet under our ledge.

"Kendall!" I yelled, but he couldn't hear me. I tried again, screaming myself hoarse, "KENDALL!" I watched his head whip around, and his eyes latched onto mine. He instantly understood my plan, and I saw him attempting to orient himself the best he could.

I braced myself as the water brought him closer. Ten feet. Five feet. Two feet. He passed under the ledge and grabbed my forearms. His hands felt icy even to my arctic skin. The cliff dug painfully into my abdomen. I held tightly to his arms, but I could feel his frozen fingers weakening. The cold was seizing his muscles, sapping their strength. I held on tighter, trying to pull him towards me. I could feel myself slip forward a little, as Carlos shifted for a better hold. Kendall's arms, slick with water, slid slightly in my grip.

Kendall was the first to realize that this wasn't going to work. "Let go Logie! You can't save me!"

"No!" I denied him stubbornly. I had lost one friend. I wasn't about to lose another.

"Logan!" His green eyes met mine, and I saw the intention there.

"Don't you dare!" I ordered.

"Take care of Carlos."

"Shut up Kendall!"

"I'm sorry." His lips moved, but I could no longer hear him. He let go.

"No!" I cried desperately, but I couldn't maintain my hold. I felt his hands slither through my grasp as the water swept him away. "No! Kendall no!" He was pulled under.

**Oh no! What did I do to Kendall? Will he miraculously be saved? If you want to find out, review! No, I wouldn't do that. I hate authors that force people to review before they'll continue the story. Never fear, I'll update regardless. :)**


	14. Total Annihilation

**New chapter! Not much to say this time, so I'll let you get to it. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Consider stuff disclaimed. **

Carlos hauled me back over the edge. Our tear-stricken gazes met for one second before he pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him in return, and we sobbed into each other's shoulders.

Kendall was gone. James was gone. My heart ripped. I gasped air into ungrateful lungs. Two people I should have protected more fiercely than I ever protected myself. If not for the fact that they housed half of my very being, for the fact that I held pieces of theirs. The absence of those pieces killed me. The pain was more excruciating than anything I'd ever experienced. My fingers fisted in the back of Carlos' shirt. The pain squeezed my heart. Hitched sobs wracked my body.

I don't know how long we sat there, offering comfort to a void too big to be filled by simple words. The most we could do was be there. Exist in the stead of our fallen friends. If we lost each other, we'd have nothing left to lose.

We finally broke apart. Our sorrow matched perfectly in the other's eyes. We hadn't even realized that the rain had subsided. The waters that had taken Kendall were slowly draining away. The clouds that had sealed us in before had lifted. I wondered what fresh horror was in store for us.

I almost cursed myself for the thought, but didn't get a chance too. My worst fear came true, as a funnel of dust descended into the dome.

I stood on the ledge, resolute. It didn't matter that I was terrified. It didn't matter that this thing had haunted my consciousness since that first nightmare. This could be the last thing I ever did, but I knew one thing for sure. I was going to protect Carlos with everything I had.

I moved to step in front of him, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me. "I know what you're thinking, Logan," he said stepping up beside me, "but I won't let you do it. You're as important to me as I am to you. We fight together."

I smiled at him. I don't know what he saw in that smile: tears, fear, resolution, but he returned it. We would do this together, for better or worse, we were a team, and we always would be.

The dust blew around aimlessly, appearing to survey the area. If it could look gleeful, this cloud definitely did. It was reveling in its master's apparent conquest. The thought made me want to puke.

It stopped and hovered directly across from us. Carlos and I stood firm, bracing ourselves for the coming fight.

The dust moved without warning. One second it was drifting languidly, the next it was buzzing furiously across the rock. The thought struck me just as I was girding for impact: Carlos didn't know about his abilities. I opened my mouth to give him some kind of warning, some advice, but didn't get the chance. Dust filled my lungs and choked the words. It pushed us from our ledge and separated us. I fell to the ground, landing on my feet, but falling back on my back. The air whooshed from my already empty lungs, and my chest heaved painfully. I used my abilities to form a bubble around myself, a small area of clear air and breathability.

When I regained my breath, I rose to my feet. I tried to find Carlos, but couldn't see through the smoke-like dust. It whirled around, buffeting me from all sides. It thrashed against my barrier, trying to break it down and consume me. I took a few shaky steps, going in the direction I'd seen Carlos fall.

I didn't know how long I'd be able to maintain my shield. It had been weakened by Kendall's… from when we'd lost Kendall. Even now I could feel it cracking. A sudden blast of red light startled me. I turned to face it, and my heart leapt.

Carlos had evidently been watching us, or else he just discovered it on instinct, but whatever the reason, he'd discovered his abilities. He was using his power to blast holes in the dust. Battering it away from himself by sheer force.

I pushed through it, wanting to reach his side and help. I altered my barrier, forming a tip to slice through the cloud. I was fifteen feet from Carlos when I broke my promise.

Carlos was backing away from a particularly vicious assault, when his foot caught on a small outcropping of rock. He stumbled and righted himself in a second, but it was one second too long. The dust surged, pressing into Carlos' mouth and his eyes. I tried to stop it. I broke my barrier and it slammed outward with all the power in my soul, but it did no good. The whole cloud shoved into Carlos, pouring in, in an angry torrent. Everything was still, for one heart's beat before Carlos dissolved from the inside out.

My life should have ended right there. There was a roaring in my ears that silenced everything else. I was on my knees, head bowed, fingers curled. I didn't feel the rough stone under my palms. I didn't see the dust swirling around before me. I was a shred of the person I used to be. My heart had no reason, no right to function anymore. I was surprised it didn't stop from utter grief. I was too tired, too worthless, to care that the dust was probably coming for me next. I was welcoming it actually. So it was a shock when I heard a voice say, "Get up Logan."

I raised my head and stared up at Leila. I didn't know how she was here, or why, but I could only obey her in meek submission. "You really know how to let things get out of hand, don't you?"

I just stared at her, numbly. Nothing she could have to say could possibly make any difference now.

"I give you the key to end all this, and you still manage to somehow screw it all up. Don't you remember what I told you that first night we met?"

I shook my head, not caring.

"That band around your arm isn't just for looks. You have the antidote, the cure, the only thing capable of destroying the dust. Inside of you is the power to destroy this plague that has infected Elsewhere. Destroy the parasite Logan."

An unbridled fury overcame me. I would kill this thing. I would annihilate it for taking my three most important people from me. It would pay for ruining my life and the countless others it had ruined in its quest for power. I would destroy it in the name of my friends and all that they had meant to me.

I held up my right hand straight above me. I concentrated all my power into that wrist, willing my last weapon to come to life. Energy surged up from my toes, passing up my legs, my torso, through my shoulders, to finally reach my wrist. I felt a crack, and it was as if a shackle fell from my wrist. I looked up and saw the blue line fade. It was replaced by a soft yellow glow.

The power heated my arm, but it wasn't an uncomfortable burn. I felt the new power from the release of the antidote surge outward, coating my entire being. I became a mosaic of light. Yellows. Reds. Greens. Blues. The colors revolved around me, pulsing and twisting and shifting. The power was incredible, stimulating. I let it consume me, take my entire being and craft it into something else.

Leila gave me an approving smile, before turning on her heel and vanishing.

The energy ate at me, returning sensation to my nerveless appendages, but it did nothing to ease the gaping hole where my heart had once been. In a way, I hoped the raw energy would kill me. I could end the guardian, keep it from hurting anywhere else, but I could also end my own pain. I knew my friends wouldn't want that for me. They'd want me to finish my life. Live it to the fullest without them, and I would try. I would not purposely give my life up, but if it came to a choice between surviving and finishing this… I didn't hold out much hope for my own life.

Finally I brought the crackling energy to a stop. It was time. I opened my mouth, "This ends now." It was all that needed to be said. There were no words to describe my grief, and I didn't even try. My actions would serve louder than words.

The dust whipped around me. Stinging me with its shards. It rallied for a final attack. This would be it. One of us wouldn't come from this clash. I took a deep breath, and we charged.

**Second to last chapter! Oh no! How could it possibly end? Check back tomorrow to find out! And now for the cheer portion of our author's note! What do we want? Reviews! When do we want 'em? Now!**


	15. Aftermath

**Final chapter! I don't know if you all are going to love it or hate it, but I'm happy with how it came out. One last thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. You are all greatly appreciated. **

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed.**

I thrashed around, trying to throw off the constricting bonds. My limbs were tangled. I clenched and unclenched my fists, struggling futilely. My ragged breaths and pounding heart filled my ears. I was soaked in sweat. A fine sheen coated my entire body. It took me a second to realize my eyes were closed. I slowly pried them open, coming face to face with… my bedroom.

I sat up in a flash, drinking in the familiar walls. They were that memorable shade of blue, covered in posters. There were my two dressers, my writing desk covered in neatly stacked papers and textbooks, and my bookshelf containing my medical journals organized by title. I patted myself down, trying to make sure I was awake. I started to rise and fell on my face. My legs were still trapped in the sheets. I disentangled myself and stood up. I walked over slowly to my bookshelf. I ran my fingers along the well-worn spines of my beloved books, hardly daring to believe my eyes. I jumped when I heard a rustle from the other side of the room. I couldn't begin to let myself hope, but…

I crossed over to the light switch and flicked it up. Light flooded the room. I looked over Kendall's half. Clutter, dirty clothes, and an assortment of stuff littered his side. I brought my eyes to the bed and could not contain a cry of joy. "Kendall!" I yelled, throwing myself at my tousle haired friend.

He was sitting up in bed, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. I launched myself at his torso, slamming both of us back into the bed. "Logan! What the heck?"

"Kendall! Kendall! Kendall!" I wrapped my arms around him and held on. I might've been crying, I wasn't sure. I was just so happy to see my best friend, alive and not drowning. I pulled back, grinning so hard my face hurt.

Kendall smiled at me confusedly, "Logan, what's up? What's wrong?" He reached a hand up and wiped an errant tear off my face.

"I'm just so glad you're alive." I answered burying my face in his chest again.

Kendall tentatively returned my embrace. "I'm glad you're alive too?" He gently rubbed my back, obviously not having any clue as to what was going on, but trying to comfort me nonetheless.

I finally released him, wiping my eyes. I sat back and promptly tumbled off the bed, laughing even when I hit the floor. It was _my _floor, in _my_ room, with _my _best friend who was alive and well.

Kendall looked down at me, one eyebrow raised, "Are you okay?" he said it slowly, as if I was a little kid.

I smiled happily at him, "I'm wonderful. Today or tonight or whenever it is, is officially the best time of my life." I nodded sagely, as if I'd just made some profound statement.

"Did you have another nightmare or something?"

I paused, confused. What was he talking about? "What do you mean? You were there. You know what happened."

"How am I supposed to know what happened in your dreams?"

What? How could he- No, that couldn't be right. There had to be another explanation. He didn't know what he was saying. It was impossible, unless… "Oh," I felt like I'd been sucker punched. The pieces were starting to fall into place. "Kendall what day is it?"

"It's way early Saturday morning, Logan. You already woke me up once tonight." He slung his legs over the bed, eyeing me in concern. "Why do you want to know?"

Saturday morning. It was still Saturday, but that meant… My mind worked furiously, going over everything that had happened. It was real, wasn't it? There was no way it could have all been a dream. Everything was too genuine, too vivid. I couldn't have dreamt it all, could I? Every instinct told me that it had happened, that I should trust my instincts, but already my brain was refuting it. Already the analytical side of me was taking over, telling me to be reasonable, think logically. _You just had a dream Logan. What's the matter with you? How could you possibly think it was all real? Get a grip._

I looked up at Kendall, who was still watching me. "Uh… I just had a dream that's all. I guess I got kind of caught up in it."

That skeptical look remained etched on his features, but he responded, "If you say so. I know I already told you this, but if you need to talk about something, anything no matter what it is, you can talk to me. I'm here, okay?"

I smiled, "I know. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime." Yeah, sometime when I didn't think I was so crazy, when everything didn't seem so messed up. "I'm just going to go back to bed now."

"Okay." Kendall reached out and ruffled my hair, then gave me a shove. "No more weird dreams. I need sleep."

I laughed, "I'll get right on that."

"Goodnight, Logie."

"G'night." I stood up and walked over to the light switch. My mind raced at a hundred miles an hour. Two days in one night. It was the most realistic, impossible thing I'd ever felt. That dream honestly felt like it consumed two days of my life. I remembered all of it, could feel it like a familiar memory. I knew it couldn't possibly be true, but some part of me was convinced that it was. I sighed and shook my head. It was going to take me a long time to figure this out. I was just about to turn the light off, when I thought, for a split second, that I saw a faint blue line around my wrist.

**Muahaha! The end of Dust. I hope you all loved it! Leave a review please! **


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